Juventus have faith in Elia

Juventus have confirmed their belief in Eljero Elia despite his pretty anonymous start to the campaign.

The winger was signed from Hamburg in the summer for €9m, but he’s played in just one game for the Old Lady so far – and that was for just 45 minutes.

Director general Beppe Marotta, though, has backed the Dutchman to make an impact in Turin for some years to come.

“We gave him a five-year deal which means that his career path with Juventus will be very long,” he noted.

“We believe in him and we followed him for some time.

“You can’t expect a player to come in from abroad, land in a new environment and get positive results straight away.

“It’s clear that he has to find his own way of settling in.

“He was away on international duty for 10-15 days, so boss Antonio Conte made other decisions that were available to him at the weekend.

“As a result, I wouldn’t say that he was excluded from the Chievo game. The Coach just fielded the best players that were available to him.”

Juventus are next in action at the weekend when the League leaders host Genoa in Turin.