Juventus talent Nicolo Fagioli turned down the opportunity to join Manchester United - despite having a "wonderful bond" with Cristiano Ronaldo.
That's according to Fagioli's brother Alessandro. The 21-year-old has broken into Juventus ' first team this season, starting their last three Serie A fixtures to help Massimiliano Allegri's side win six consecutive league games and jump up to third in the table.
Fagioli has previously been linked with a move away from Juventus, yet it's claimed he never wanted to leave. The Italy international's brother has revealed his sibling was determined to stay in Turin and fight for his place - a decision that's now paying dividends.
"He was used very little, despite the fact that the opportunities to include him were there, at least in appearance," Alessandro told Tuttosport, as per Football Italia. "Nicolo's merit was that he did not stop believing, he was very good at waiting for his moment."
Fagioli's breakthrough came during a 1-0 win against Lecce in October. The youngster came off the bench at half-time to score the winner. His stellar performance won Allegri's trust and he was rewarded with a start against Inter Milan, scoring again a 2-0 win.
Alessandro added: "Before that match his phone calls were sad, he wasn’t playing and couldn’t give himself an explanation, he was discouraged... The match against Lecce showed how much talent Nicolo is capable of putting at the service of the team."
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Alessandro also revealed that Fagioli received an offer from United in 2015, when he left Cremonese's academy for Juventus. The midfielder is from Piacenza, which is a two-hour drive from Turin. Alessandro said: "Nicolo is a mama’s boy, he never liked distance.
"When he was in Cremonese's youth system he said no to Manchester United, he didn’t feel ready to leave Italy. And for Juve he preferred to turn down interest from Inter, with whom he had a trial, Milan and Atalanta. Nicolo's Bianconeri faith prevailed over everything."
Alessandro was keen to praise Allegri for trusting Fagioli, as well as Ronaldo's influence on his blossoming career. The Portugal international, 37, scored 101 goals in 134 games for Juventus during a three-year spell - winning two Serie A titles.
Alessandro noted: "In the past Nicolo also clung on to the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo in the locker room, they had a wonderful bond, CR7 always confessed to him that he saw great talent in him. So he advised him to work twice as hard, to never give up."
Allegri was clinging on to his job after a tough few years for Juventus. Following nine consecutive Serie A titles, they've finished fourth in each of the last two seasons. They've also been knocked out of the Champions League in the group stage this term.
Juventus were languishing in eighth after their 2-0 defeat to AC Milan at the beginning of October but are now back in contention for a Champions League spot. Napoli are the runaway leaders in Serie A - sitting eight points clear of Milan in second.
