Last weekend, Juventus manager Max Allegri opted to rest Gleison Bremer ahead of the big clash at the Maradona Stadium. In his stead, Daniele Rugani made a rare start at the heart of defense, in between Alex Sandro and Danilo.

Fortunately, the Italian produced a solid showing against Udinese, playing an important role in extending the clean sheet streak to eight matches in a row. Moreover, the 28-year-old almost scored a goal himself in the first half, but his header was denied by Marco Silvestri.

But according to the player’s agent Davide Torchia, Juventus weren’t willing to negotiate Rugani’s exit, even prior to his impressive performance from Saturday.

The agent insists that his client remains an important figure at the club, and is always ready to contribute to the cause.

“Rugani played the match well, he fell into his place. When there’s a need, he’s always ready,” said Torchia in an interview with TuttoJuve.

“He did the right things, and almost scored a goal. Daniele, together with his teammates, managed to continue the work undertaken in the last few weeks, not letting Juve concede a goal, which is a nice achievement.

“Juventus have expressed their pleasure in continuing to have Rugani in their squad, and do not want to negotiate any transfers.

“The player is useful for the club’s project which is being created at the moment. They told us as much even before the match against Udinese.

“Saturday’s performance only confirms the management’s opinion. We are happy with all this and reiterate the fact that we never asked to leave.”

Rugani had initially signed for Juventus in 2015 and has a contract with the club until 2024.