Weston McKennie has gotten back to his best at Juventus following a tough loan spell last season at Leeds United and Massimiliano Allegri knows it.
McKennie has picked himself up after enduring a frustrating loan spell during the second half of last season, one that led to Leeds United’s relegation from the English Premier League. The U.S. men’s national team midfielder has made 18 appearances for the Old Lady this season, registering two assists and logging just over 1,400 minutes of action.
Despite being linked with a transfer away last summer, McKennie stayed in Turin and has since become one of the more important players in Allegri’s squad this campaign. Juventus has certainly reaped the rewards of McKennie’s turnaround, losing just one of 18 league matches so far and sitting two points off of first place Inter Milan.
Ahead of Thursday’s Coppa Italia showdown with Salernitana, Allegri praised McKennie’s growth, and also challenged him to deliver even more during the second half of the season.
“It’s not that he’s changed. He’s grown,” said Allegri prematch. “His experience at Leeds has matured him. He didn’t have a good experience because they were relegated.
“He’s back, still wanting to stay,” Allegri added. “We’re halfway through the season, and he has five more months where he wants to do even more.”
Juventus head into the match as heavy favorites, which very well could lead to a slight rest for McKennie before the resumption of the Serie A schedule this coming weekend.
Always loved McKennie’s game, always thought he was one of our best players since he was first capped, and I think he scored in that game! It was always the off-field stuff that tripped him up occasionally. My observation of his career has been that no matter what team he is on, if healthy he ends up on the field. Sometimes despite on or off field mistakes. Loving his season this year so far, and a healthy more mature Mckennie is absolutely a cornerstone for the USMNT. In the form he is in now, guy has to start for us.
I for one certainly didn’t see McKennie just trotting back to Juve and starting after the way his Leeds loan went. Definitely shows you’re only as good as the people around you. Also sort of illustrated just how hard it is to be on a team that’s struggling and what it can do for your form and career…so choose your landing spots carefully.
If I was McKennie I’d be doing finishing drills until I couldn’t see straight. If he can add goals to his game and just finish the stuff his athleticism and vision let him get on the end of, he’d be a legitimately elite midfielder.