Antonio Conte: 'Athletic Bilbao treated Fernando Llorente badly'

Juventus coach Antonio Conte has revealed that it has taken until now for Fernando Llorente to hit his best form after moving from Athletic Bilbao in the summer.

Conte criticised Athletic's treatment of Llorente after he agreed to join Juve, with the player barely making any appearances in the second half of last season.

"I wasn't lying when I said that we needed to be patient and wait for Llorente to return to the player he was before," the Old Lady coach told beIN Sport.

"Last season was difficult for him as a footballer and professionally because he wasn't treated well at Athletic Bilbao. He hardly played.

"He also needed time to become familiar with our system and the intensity of our training sessions."

Llorente has scored one goal so far in Serie A.