Weston McKennie will miss the remainder of the 2021-2022 season because of his foot injury, leaving Juventus short-handed in the midfield. He suffered a fracture of the 2nd and 3rd metatarsal in late February. At the time, the club announced he would be out for two months, therefore until April. Coach Massimiliano Allegri pushed the timetable after the win over Spezia.
The coach told DAZN: “We will not recover McKennie until the end of the campaign. He will be back for the next one. I will have to come up with different solutions in the midfield.” The team has not disclosed whether the American international underwent surgery of if he will heal naturally.
Barring a surprising turn of events, McKennie will close his second season at Juventus with 4 goals in 28 appearances across all competitions. He joined from Schalke 04 in a €25M transfer combining the fee for the initial loan and the option to buy. He stayed in Turin in the last two transfer market windows despite the frequent rumors linking him to a move elsewhere.
Without McKennie and Denis Zakaria, Juventus have relied heavily on Manuel Locatelli, Arthur, and Adrien Rabiot in the midfield. The Swiss newcomer is nursing a thigh strain. The coach sounded hopeful he would be back for the second leg against Villarreal. At worst, he will return after the next international break. Paulo Dybala suffered a new thigh injury Friday. He is highly at risk for the second leg of the Champions League clash too.