Max Allegri has praised both Nicolo Fagioli and Dejan Kulusevski, whilst claiming that Aaron Ramsey could be set for a central midfield role.

The Italian boss has taken over the manager’s role for the second time, returning after just two years away, and is preparing his side for the return to action with just under three weeks until the start of the new campaign.

We took on Monza in our opening friendly match in the Luigi Berlusconi Trophy, winning the match 2-1 thanks to goals from youngsters Ranocchia and Kulusevski, and the latter got a special mention in the manager’s post-match comments.

“We got minutes under our belts so it was a useful, interesting friendly,” Allegri told Juventus.com after the victory with Monza. “It’s a shame about the goal we conceded but the lads did well. We gave the ball away a bit too often. They’re still young, though: we have to teach them to be a bit more clever.

“Kulusevski has great potential. He needs to make more runs into the box and play more aggressively but he’s got time on his side.

“[Nicolo] Fagioli is looking good. He impressed in the second half. He’s come on a lot in the last few years. We’ll sit down with the club to decide what’s best for him.”

It sounds to me as if the club could look to send Fagioli out on loan to pick up some crucial first-team minutes, but one who has been linked with an exit in Aaron Ramsey could be set to stay put as the manager considers him for a central midfield role.

He added: “Ramsey looked good in front of the defence and cut out a lot passes. I think that’s an area of the field where he can play a key role for us.”

Could Ramsey proved to be a solid option in a deeper role? Who would be his ideal partner, Locatelli or Pjanic?

Patrick