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Weston McKennie available for Juventus’ Serie A opener

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Weston McKennie was previously expected to miss the opening weeks of the new Serie A campaign, but the American midfielder is now eligible for Massimiliano Allegri’s squad ahead of of Monday’s season opener.

Allegri confirmed Sunday that McKennie is available for action as Juventus faces off with Sassuolo in its competitive opener Monday in Turin. The U.S. men’s national team midfielder suffered a shoulder injury earlier this summer during preseason camp, which was expected to sideline him three-to-four weeks.

However, McKennie has only missed two weeks of training and preseason friendlies and could be called on in the heart of Allegri’s midfield on Monday night. McKennie will fight with Juan Cuadrado and summer acquisition Filip Kostic for minutes to kick off the new league campaign.

“Kostic is a good crosser of the ball, and his control is excellent,” Allegri said Sunday in his pre-match press conference. “He’s been back and forth between Turin and Frankfurt, so I have to decide between him, Cuadrado and McKennie – only two of these three will play, but he’s capable of providing good service for Vlahovic.”

McKennie has totaled 75 combined appearances for the Old Lady, scoring 10 goals and registering three assists since his arrival in 2020. Injuries hampered McKennie’s 2021-22 season, reducing the American midfielder to only 29 appearances in all competitions.

The 23-year-old scored four goals for the Serie A giants, a career-best to date.

Juventus will have seven Serie A matches before the September international break, a final opportunity for McKennie to join his USMNT teammates ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup’s kickoff in November.

Comments

  1. I am happy that McKenzie is no longer hurt, but the cynical USNT fan in really wanted him to miss a few more games to lessen the opportunity pick up a serous injury.

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