'Who do you think you are? You're not Lionel Messi!' - Thiago Motta's brutal put down to Juventus star revealed after Serie A giants sacked manager after less than a season

Earlier this month, Juventus parted ways with Thiago Motta after a string of unconvincing results, both domestically and in the Champions League. In the aftermath of his sacking, Italian journalist Sandro Sabatini has made some shocking revelations regarding Motta's alleged brutal exchanges with talented youngster Kenan Yildiz.

Yildiz started the season as a key part of Motta’s plans, but his role diminished in the final weeks of the coach’s tenure. He was sidelined for crucial games against Inter and Fiorentina and was subbed off at half-time against Atalanta. His benching in Juventus’ 3-0 loss to Fiorentina before the international break - Motta’s final game in charge - further underscored the apparent shift in his standing within the squad.

“At a certain point, Yildiz disappeared from Thiago Motta’s hierarchy,” said Sabatini on the Calcio Selvaggio podcast, as reported by Tuttosport.

“He’s a young player who found himself shuffled around from one position to another, and on a couple of occasions during training, Motta told him: ‘Who do you think you are? You’re not Messi.'”

The Bianconeri find themselves in fifth position in the Serie A table, one point behind the top four and 12 below league leaders Inter. Newly-appointed head coach Igor Tudor has his work cut out for the last nine games of the season and he'll be in charge of his first Juve match on Saturday, March 29, when they take on Genoa.