Tag: Juventus

Weah sidelined with hamstring injury after opening-night Juventus goal

It’s one step forward, one step back for the USMNT winger

Juventus winger Tim Weah is set for a spell on the sidelines with a hamstring injury suffered in Monday’s season-opening win against Como.

Weah was injured near the end of the first half, and moved gingerly around the field as a substitute warmed up on the sideline.

But the U.S. men’s national team winger wasn’t done for the night. In first-half stoppage time, Weah managed to find his way into the box and thump home a left-footed strike for his first career Serie A goal.

Minutes later, the halftime whistle blew and the 24-year-old’s night was over.

On Tuesday, Juventus released a medical update on Weah and midfielder Khephren Thuram, saying both players would miss at least 10 days with hamstring injuries.

“Following muscular problems suffered during last night’s match, Khephren Thuram and Timothy Weah underwent diagnostic tests this morning at the J|Medical, which revealed for the former a low-grade hamstring injury in his left thigh and for the latter a low-grade hamstring injury in his right thigh,” the club said.

“New examinations are scheduled for both players in approximately 10 days’ time.”

The injury is a blow for Weah, who has been moved to his more natural winger position under new manager Thiago Motta.

Weah played wingback under Max Allegri last term, as his debut campaign with the Bianconeri saw him lose his starting role by midseason.

After Juve won 3-0, Motta marveled at how a clearly hobbled Weah still managed to find himself in the right place and executed his shot to perfection.

“That was the great instinct of the player!” the coach said with a laugh to DAZN.

“He wasn’t in good shape, he almost walked into the box, because he sensed that was the position to be in. We’ll evaluate him tomorrow and hope it is nothing serious.”

The injury also appears likely to keep Weah off the USMNT roster for September matches against Canada on September 7, and New Zealand three days later.

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USMNT winger Weah scores, comes off injured in Juventus opener

It was a case of good news, bad news for the New York native

Tim Weah scored his first Serie A goal on Monday, netting in the first game of his second campaign at Juventus.

It wasn’t all good news for the U.S. men’s national team winger, though, as he was forced off with an injury that he actually suffered minutes before scoring his goal.

Under new head coach Thiago Motta, Weah has been moved to his more natural winger position after spending last season as a wingback under Max Allegri.

Weah’s first season with Juve was underwhelming, as he would lose his starting role by midseason. The USMNT attacker appears to have new life in 2024-25, which he demonstrated by playing a part in both of Juve’s first-half goals against Como.

First, Weah’s long switch found Samuel Mbangula, who cut in and arrowed an inch-perfect strike inside the far post to give Juve a 23rd-minute lead.

Later in the half, Weah appeared to suffer an injury after a clash near the touchline. As the 24-year-old moved gingerly around the field, he still managed to open his Serie A account in first-half stoppage time.

Kenan Yıldız beat his defender on the left flank and cut back an inviting ball near the penalty spot, which Weah hammered off the underside of the crossbar and out. The referee’s watch buzzed, however, as the ball clearly crossed the line.

As Weah walked off the field to end the first half, he indicated to trainers that he would be unable to play any further part in the game at Allianz Stadium.

Nicolò Savona came on at the break to replace the New York native, who will now hope his early momentum won’t be curtailed by injury.

After the game, which Juventus won 3-0, Motta was asked if he told a hobbling Weah to get into the penalty box near the end of the half.

“That was the great instinct of the player!” the coach said with a laugh to DAZN.

“He wasn’t in good shape, he almost walked into the box, because he sensed that was the position to be in. We’ll evaluate him tomorrow and hope it is nothing serious.”

Watch Weah’s goal vs. Como

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Juventus boss Motta says he may have a use for McKennie after all

History appears to be repeating itself for the USMNT midfielder

Weston McKennie has once again gone from outcast to in the mix at Juventus.

Just two weeks after Juve head coach Thiago Motta told McKennie his services were no longer required, the situation has changed for the U.S. men’s national team midfielder.

At a press conference ahead of Juve’s season opener against Como on Monday, Motta declared that he may, in fact, have a use for the midfielder this season after all.

“McKennie is a useful and functional player for our needs,” the coach said on Sunday. “Tomorrow we have 19 players to face the match and I can only put 11 on the pitch and make five substitutions. We are fine, we trained with the right intensity and we are ready.”

Motta’s words were a major departure from earlier this month, when he said that every player left out for a friendly against Brest — including McKennie — was not in his plans.

“We have been very clear with them,” Motta said on August 4. “They are talented, but must find other options where they will get more playing time. For [Federico] Chiesa and the others, the decision has been made.”

But after several media reports last week that McKennie had returned to the fold, Motta has confirmed that the 25-year-old is back in his plans.

McKennie’s contract is currently set to expire at the end of the season, with talks over an extension so far proving unsuccessful.

The USMNT star’s situation is reminiscent to what he faced last summer, when he returned from a loan at Leeds only to find himself an outcast.

“I didn’t have my locker, I didn’t have a room in the hotel, I didn’t have a parking space,” McKennie said in an interview with The Athletic.

“I couldn’t even get my shirt number (14), even though nobody else had taken the number. I was like, ‘OK you guys want to treat me like this? I’m just going to show you on the field.’”

McKennie responded last year by becoming a vital part of the team, starting nearly every game while tallying a career-high 10 assists.

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Weah: I’ll be a ‘different player’ under Juventus coach Motta

The USMNT star is hoping a new coach and new position will turn his fortunes around

Tim Weah is hoping that a new season, a new coach and a new position can make all the difference for him at Juventus.

Weah move to Juve last summer from Lille, and was expected to lock down the team’s starting wingback spot under then-coach Max Allegri.

Instead, the U.S. international endured an up-and-down campaign that saw him mostly relegated to a substitute role by the second half of the season.

Though there were rumors Juve was looking to move on from the 24-year-old after just one season, he has instead been given an injection of new life by incoming head coach Thiago Motta.

Weah has been moved up to the wide attacking role he’s played for much of his club career, and continues to play with the U.S. men’s national team.

He’s also been used as a starter for most of the club’s preseason, indicating the USMNT winger is well positioned for a regular role under Motta in the upcoming season.

Weah spoke to his club’s website after its 2-0 preseason defeat to Atlético Madrid on Sunday, indicating he wasn’t concerned about a lack of preseason wins as he eyes a personal turnaround in 2024-25.

“I saw positive things today, especially in the first half. We have to continue to work like this in training, because the next game will be a league match and it will be more important. We are not worried about the loss, since it was a preseason friendly,” Weah said.

“I am totally focused on the field and on helping the team. We have to continue like this, all together. We have a new coach, a new system of play, we’re more focused on attack, and I think I will also be a different player, it’s what we work on together every day. We have very good rapport.”

Juventus will kick off the 2024-25 season next Monday with a league match against newly promoted Como.

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Source: FC Cincinnati makes bid for USMNT star McKennie

Could the USMNT star be heading back to his home country?

U.S. men’s national team midfielder Weston McKennie will have several options if leaves Juventus this summer, and they won’t all be from Europe.

A source tells Pro Soccer Wire that FC Cincinnati has made a bid for McKennie, with the MLS side willing to go as high as $15 million in an effort to secure the USMNT mainstay as a Designated Player.

FCC is understood to be one of several MLS sides interested in McKennie, who is set to enter the final season of his contract with Juventus.

Talks between McKennie and Juventus over an extension have reportedly hit a dead end, and the Bianconeri now appear to be open to selling the Texan this summer rather than lose him for free in 2025.

McKennie was recently rumored to be nearing a move to Aston Villa as part of a swap deal, but that transfer now appears to be off due to McKennie’s failure to reach an agreement with the Premier League side.

This past season for Juventus, McKennie played in 38 matches across all competitions and amassed nearly 3,000 minutes of playing time, recording a career-best tally of 10 assists.

FC Cincinnati is currently second in the MLS table but leads the league in points per game. The Ohio side sees McKennie’s possible addition as a major boost for its aim to win both MLS Cup and the Concacaf Champions Cup.

McKennie came up through the FC Dallas academy, but has never actually played in MLS. As an 18-year-old, the midfielder turned down a homegrown contract offer from FCD in favor of a move to German side Schalke.

Pro Soccer Wire has reached out to FCC for comment, and this article will be updated if there is a response.

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Juventus really wanted Weston McKennie gone last summer. History may be repeating itself.

The USMNT midfielder was forced to change with academy players, among other indignities

Weston McKennie has opened up on his outcast status at Juventus last summer, revealing details on how the club ostracized him following his return from his loan at Leeds.

The U.S. national team midfielder had a rough spell at Elland Road in the second half of the 2022-23 campaign, returning to Turin last summer as an outcast.

Though Juventus initially wanted to offload McKennie, the midfielder instead worked his way back into now-former manager Max Allegri’s plans and became an ever-present for the Bianconeri in the 2023-24 campaign.

In an interview with The Athletic, McKennie said he couldn’t help but feel annoyed at the treatment from Juventus last summer.

“I knew it was going to be (challenging). I didn’t know it was going to be to that extent; where I didn’t have my locker, I didn’t have a room in the hotel, I didn’t have a parking space,” McKennie said, echoing comments from his USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter in March.

“I changed in the locker rooms with the academy kids, even when you had players in the main locker room who had never played a game for Juventus because they’d always been out on loan. And I’m thinking to myself, ‘Wow, I’ve only been gone for six months. I come back and I am treated like this.’

“I couldn’t even get my shirt number (14), even though nobody else had taken the number. I was like, ‘OK you guys want to treat me like this? I’m just going to show you on the field.'”

Motta prepared to sell McKennie

Though McKennie proved to be one of Juve’s most effective players last season, it appears the club is once again prepared to offload him this summer.

The 25-year-old’s contract expires at the end of the upcoming season, with talks over an extension seemingly at a dead end. McKennie was rumored to be nearing a move to Aston Villa as part of a swap deal, but that transfer now appears to be off due to McKennie’s failure to reach an agreement with the Premier League side.

That leaves McKennie in a difficult spot at Juve, whose new manager Thiago Motta has reportedly decided the American isn’t in his plans.

Tuttosport claims Motta is entering his first season in charge without McKennie in mind, which could mean the midfielder will be heading for another new club — whether it’s Villa or not.

At least for McKennie, being forced to prove himself all over again would be nothing new.

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McKennie reportedly close to Aston Villa move as part of swap deal

McKennie could be back in the Premier League, and on a side playing Champions League soccer to boot

Weston McKennie could be going back to the Premier League, this time on a permanent basis.

Sky Sport Italia reported on Tuesday that the U.S. men’s national team midfielder could be leaving Juventus for Aston Villa as part of an unusual — at least, for European soccer — multi-player trade.

Per the report, which has since been backed up by multiple outlets, Juve is in talks to send McKennie, wide man Samuel Iling-Junior, and between €18-20 million to Villa in exchange for Brazil midfielder Douglas Luiz.

While the reports caution that the deal is not done, Gianluca Di Marzio has claimed that McKennie’s camp has already agreed to contract details with the Birmingham-based club.

Despite an impressive season that saw McKennie post 10 assists as a full-time starter, Juve has seemed set on moving the USMNT regular out the door.

A March contract offer reportedly involved asking the 25-year-old to take a pay cut, and the Italian giants may have been rushing to get something for McKennie this summer rather than losing him on a free transfer when his contract ends after the 2024-25 season.

Juventus reportedly made an improved offer in April, though McKennie rejected that as well amid rumors of interest from clubs in MLS and Saudi Arabia.

Aston Villa move could benefit McKennie

A move to Villa could be a positive development for McKennie. Unai Emery led the club to a fourth-place finish this past season, getting the Villans into the Champions League for the first time.

With Luiz moving as part of the rumored deal, McKennie would be a frontrunner to start in the Villa midfield alongside John McGinn and Youri Tielemans.

McKennie’s prior spell in the Premier League was a difficult half-season spent on loan with Leeds United in 2023. Leeds ended up being relegated, while McKennie struggled for good form amid multiple coaching changes.

However, this past season with Juventus proved that McKennie could be a consistent starter at a top club. Per USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter, McKennie returned to Turin to find he didn’t even have a locker, with the club seeming to have moved on.

McKennie battled his way into the starting lineup in the season’s first few weeks, and by season’s end had totaled 2,950 minutes in all competitions for the Bianconeri.

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Weah pays tribute to Allegri following Juventus manager’s dismissal

Weah says Allegri’s departure marks a “sad day in Turin”

Tim Weah clearly didn’t want to see Max Allegri make his Juventus exit.

The U.S. men’s national team regular saluted his former manager on Friday, hours after Juve confirmed that Allegri had been sacked over a series of fiery arguments during and after the club’s Coppa Italia victory.

“[Sad] day in Turin!” began Weah’s Instagram story, with text over a photo of Allegri.

“Dear Mister Allegri, As you step away from Juventus, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for the dedication and passion you brought to our club,” continued Weah, referring to his former coach with the affectionate Italian slang for a manager.

“Thank you for believing in me and thank you for changing my life. I will forever be in debt!!!!”

Weah joined Juventus last summer in a $13 million transfer from Lille, and was in and out of Allegri’s starting 11. Despite playing as a right winger for the USMNT and at Lille, Weah was more or less exclusively deployed as a right wingback in Allegri’s 3-5-2 formation.

The 24-year-old appeared in 33 of a possible 41 matches, missing six games through injury or suspension. However, Weah ended up starting just 12 times, with Allegri toggling between him, Andrea Cambiaso, and Weston McKennie.

Still, Weah’s statement points to the USMNT attacker feeling that his time under Allegri was clearly beneficial.

Weah’s status, like that of most players at Juve, is up in the air going into the offseason. Rumors this winter hinted at a possible departure, and a new coach will present a major variable in Turin.

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Max Allegri sacked as Juventus head coach

Allegri’s second spell in charge of the team ends after three seasons

Massimiliano Allegri has been sacked as Juventus head coach, the club has confirmed.

Allegri’s second spell in charge of the Bianconeri ends just days after the coach led his side to a Coppa Italia title with a win over Atalanta in the final.

But Juventus has disappointed in Serie A this season, currently sitting fourth in the table.

In a statement, however, Juventus indicated that Allegri’s sacking was at least partially down to his behavior during the Coppa Italia final.

Allegri lost his cool late in the match in Rome, throwing off his blazer and tie in a fit of rage as he was shown a red card. After the final whistle, the coach got into arguments with Juve sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli and Guido Vaciago of Italian newspaper Tuttosport.

The club said Allegri’s sacking “follows certain behaviors during and after the Coppa Italia final that the club deemed incompatible with the values of Juventus and the behavior that those who represent it should have.”

In the aftermath of the final, Allegri was banned for two games in the Coppa Italia.

Allegri’s second spell in charge of Juve didn’t feature nearly the same highs as his first. The coach led Juventus to 11 trophies between 2014 and 2019, including five consecutive Serie A titles.

After returning in 2021, however, Allegri won just one trophy in three seasons: the 2023-24 Coppa Italia, clinched just two days before he was sacked.

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McKennie on Juventus future: ‘I’d like to stay, but we’ll see what happens’

The USMNT midfielder has been linked with an exit as his contract enters its final year

Weston McKennie has said he would like to remain at Juventus beyond this season, but the midfielder also left the door slightly open to a possible exit.

McKennie has been one of his side’s top performers in 2023-24, regaining a prominent role with Juventus after an ill-fated loan with Leeds in the second half of last season.

The U.S. men’s national team star is set to enter the final season of his contract, which will expire in June 2025. That makes the coming months potentially decisive when it comes to his Juventus future.

Juventus has been in talks with McKennie over a new contract, but may be forced to sell this summer if a deal can’t be reached.

After his side drew Roma 1-1 on Sunday, McKennie spoke to DAZN about his future with the Bianconeri.

“I have a year left in my contract, and my agent is speaking with the director. I’d like to stay, obviously, but we’ll see what happens. Hopefully, we can work it out,” he said.

Juventus currently sits third in Serie A as the season winds down. The club fell well off the pace in the title race after a promising start, and will have its only chance at silverware on May 15 when it faces Atalanta in the Coppa Italia final.

Should he stay, McKennie said he is hoping to bring his side back to its past glories in the coming seasons.

“As for the team, we have the same goal we’ve had for the past three years. We want to win the Scudetto and play a big role in the Champions League; we want to return Juventus to the glory days, how it was before,” the Texan said.

“Juventus are a team with a lot of winning history, and this team wants to show that we belong in that history as well, so hopefully, we can win the Coppa Italia, at least a trophy this season and finish the season strong and for the future put Juventus where we belong.”

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