ALLEGRI BACKS DEL PIERO

AC Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri has said that he will not for one second believe that Juventus will be stupid enough to let Alessandro Del Piero leave the club at the end of the season.

Juventus said in a statement back in October that this would be the last season at the club for Alessandro Del Piero, who is regarded as one of the greatest players for the club.

The 37-year-old is coming to the end of his career, but he has been once again influential for Juventus in helping retain their lead over AC Milan in the Italian Serie A this season. The striker could very well go out on a high, but Massimiliano Allegri reckons that Juventus will be interested in renewing his deal come the summer.

Only a few matches remain in the Italian Serie A season and Juventus continue to keep their heads above the water. One of the main reasons for it has been the sensational form of Alessandro Del Piero, who has regularly come as a substitute and helped Juventus win the match. It is one of the reasons for Allegri to consider that the title race this season will not be finished up until the last day. Allegri has been boosted by the return of Antonio Cassano from a heart surgery.

"Juve will not allow Del Piero to slip away. The title will go to the team that keeps their nerve best. He's certainly a great player," the Rossoneri boss said while during a Q&A session on social networking site Twitter. "He will return as soon as possible available for both AC Milan for the Italian national team," said Allegri regarding the availability of Cassano in the first-team. His return is extremely important given that Alexandre Pato has been ruled out for the rest of the season.