From Kane to Gabriel Jesus: Toni 'advises' Juve on new central forward for Ronaldo
Interviewed by Tuttosport (via goal.com), the world champion took stock of some European strikers targeted by the Old Lady for the summer transfer market, from Gabriel Jesus to Tottenham's Harry Kane.
"Harry Kane? A true central forward, who fills the area like few others. He is technical, good at playing with the team and above all lethal in the last few metres. He scores a lot. And at 26, he still has room for growth," he said.
But it is not the English attacker who is ideal for the Bianconeri, according to the former Bayern Munich man, rather a somewhat younger alternative in Manchester City's Gabriel Jesus.
"He is fast, technical, he needs assists. Of these strikers, the Brazilian is the 'least strike' but he would be the best suited to play with Cristiano Ronaldo because CR7 is not a pure central forward but he is the one who in the end scores more and he has to score more," Toni said.
"A too much of a striker, such as Kane, who I think is the best of the under 30s, is not necessarily a wonderful match with Ronaldo. I see Gabriel Jesus as a much better match, he also scores a lot, opens spaces for his teammates, presses and is only 22 years old," he added.
Finally, the fourth-highest scoring Italian player of all time took the time to speak about Cristiano Ronaldo himself, the way the Portuguese star has been performing so far this season and the way coach Maurizio Sarri has been handling him during his first year at Juventus.
"What amazes me is the number of games he plays. Age in itself is not a problem, I played in Serie A up to 39 years old but it's one thing to play a game per week like I did and everything else to be on the field every three days like him. He really is a machine," Toni praised CR7.
"Sarri has so far managed Ronaldo very well. When he was not at the top last November, Sarri did well to replace him, even if it touched his pride a little. After that CR7 found himself and performed in a monstrous way, proving to be an intelligent person too," he concluded.