Vialli urges Del Piero to quit Juve

Former Chelsea boss Gianluca Vialli has told Alessandro Del Piero he needs to leave the Delle Alpi in order to rejuvenate his career.

Bianconeri club captain Del Piero has fallen out of favour with coach Fabio Capello, having been regularly substituted this season and, in recent weeks, starting from the bench.

He has lost his place to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Sweden international signed from Ajax last summer, leaving ex-Juventus striker Vialli to spell out what he feels the 30-year-old needs to do.

“I don’t believe Del Piero will end his career at Juventus,” Vialli told Gazzetta Dello Sport. “I hope that he can enjoy an experience abroad, in England or in Spain, and he must choose the place and the time to make his move.

“Ale (Del Piero) has every right to be unhappy. But he has the duty to do what he is doing now, which is to train seriously and play with enthusiasm.”

Although the Juve fans have queried Capello’s decision to leave their talisman out of the starting XI, few can criticise the ex-Roma boss with his team well clear of AC Milan at the top of Serie A.

“I don’t question the technical decision of a coach whose team is eight points clear in the table,” said Vialli, who won the 1996 Champions League with Juve.

“When I speak of the right to be unhappy it’s with regards to the human reaction of a captain who is on the bench.

“It happened to me as well and I know that only your professionalism allows you to keep your head held up high.”