AC Milan striker Ronaldo trained for the first time in Japan on
Tuesday in his bid to be fit for the Club World Cup.
The Brazilian has played just one match all season for the European champions
because of a series of leg injuries and Thursday's semi-final against Japan's
Urawa Reds may come too soon for the 31-year-old.
However, his team mates hope he can be ready for a potential final on Sunday.
"He has a great desire to return, we have been close to him in recent days
because he needed us but we also need him on the pitch," midfielder Andrea Pirlo
told reporters.
"He is a player that can make a difference. I hope he can train more this week
and even play."
Pirlo said Milan were taking nothing for granted against Urawa, who beat Iran's
Sepahan 3-1 on Monday.
"We saw them yesterday. They are aggressive, have good players and great fans,"
he added.
Despite arriving in Japan last Thursday, Pirlo said he was still struggling to
deal with being on the other side of the world.
"The time difference is still a bit difficult. For example in the hours after
training in the afternoon before the evening it is hard to keep yourself up and
awake. But there's still some days to get used to it better and concentrate on
the objective," he said. (Writing by Mark Meadows in Milan; Editing by Alison
Wildey) |