Leeds [UK], July 19 (ANI): Juventus' Matthijs de Ligt is of the view that club's bigwig Cristiano Ronaldo has had no influence on his decision to join the Serie A champions. "After the Nations League final, I was already sure that I wanted to join Juventus, but it was still a big compliment to have Cristiano ask me to join here but it didn't make the difference," Goal.com quoted De Ligt as saying.De Ligt said: "I came here because Italy is one of the most traditional countries for defenders. Juventus is a great forwards step for me."Apart from that, the other reason he divulged that made him to join Juventus was club's manager Maurizio Sarri."I spoke to [Maurizio] Sarri on the phone before coming just to get to know each other. He was one of the reasons that I wanted to join here. I've heard a lot of good things about him and I like his footballing philosophy and how he prepares his defence," De Ligt said.The 19-year-old De Ligt is looking forward to gaining more experience at Juventus. "I'm still young but I feel like I've got a lot of experience for a 19-year-old. That's why I made this move to gain more experience and to learn from the players here," added De Ligt."I'm 19. I can still improve and I want to do that. It's important to work hard every day and to learn and I hope to become a better player," he added. (ANI)

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