Maurizio Sarri will miss Juventus’ first two Serie A matches as he recovers from pneumonia.

The 60-year-old former Chelsea manager underwent further tests on Thursday which showed his condition had improved over the last couple of days.

However, although Sarri subsequently visited the training ground to speak to his staff he will not be on the bench when Juve kick-off the defence of their league title.

“To completely recover from the pneumonia that hit him over the course of the past few days, the coach will not sit on the bench for the first two Serie A matches against Parma and Napoli,” said a statement from the club.

“The decision was taken to allow the coach, who even today went to the JTC (Juventus Training Centre) to co-ordinate work with his staff, to resume regular activity as soon as possible.”