Allegri asks Juve fans to lay off Hernanes

Massimiliano Allegri wants the Juventus fans to stop whistling Hernanes and get behind the Brazilian midfielder.

Hernanes arrived from Serie A rivals Inter at the start of last season but struggled to hold down a regular first-team place, making only 14 league appearances in 2015-16.

The 31-year-old is yet to start a match in the new campaign, getting just 20 minutes of action under his belt, and Allegri says the fans getting on his back will not help the situation.

Hernanes could be in line to feature against Cagliari at Juventus Stadium on Wednesday, with Sami Khedira set to be rested, and Allegri has called for greater appreciation of the Brazilian’s talents.

“I see that at the stadium when we play at home, every now and then he gets a bit of whistling,” the coach said in Tuesday’s media conference.

“I think we need some respect for Hernanes, because he was very important last year.

“Let’s not forget when we won in Manchester [against City], he helped against Bayern Munich at home when [Claudio] Marchisio went off at the end of the first half.

“In football everyone can make mistakes, Hernanes is an important player for Juventus and must remain so because [Stefano] Sturaro is returning now but he’s still a bit short of top condition.

“Marchisio isn’t ready yet and will be missing for a little while yet, and every player in this squad has to feel part of this project, or rather this season because there are no projects, in football you just have to win game by game.

“I think Hernanes should be helped because at home that doesn’t happen because – with all the respect I have for the fans – I put him on the pitch and he just gets whistled.

“He’s a player who contributed last year like everyone else did.”