Juventus midfielder Teun Koopmeiners faces a lengthier spell on the sidelines than initially expected after cracking his rib against Cagliari. According to Calciomercato, a painful injury has prevented the ex-Atalanta playmaker from joining the Netherlands squad for October’s UEFA Nations League fixtures.
But that’s the least of Thiago Motta’s concerns. Koopmeiners reportedly feels immense pain and couldn’t report for training since being withdrawn at halftime against Cagliari. Juventus doctors have advised him to rest for a few days before undergoing further tests to assess the extent of the injury and determine whether he will be fit for their upcoming games.
Therefore, there’s a scare among the Juventus medical team that Koopmeiners could be unavailable for the next Serie A match against Lazio. He could also skip Juve’s UEFA Champions League clash against Stuttgart, forcing Motta to revisit his options for the advanced playmaker role.
Koopmeiners’ injury could offer Douglas Luiz an opportunity to hit the ground running at Juventus. The Brazilian has struggled since swapping Aston Villa for the Allianz Stadium in the summer. Despite moving to Serie A with the pedigree of an elite midfielder, he has flopped during his early life in Italy.
Motta still doesn’t trust Luiz, largely thanks to his questionable fitness condition. Samuel Mbangula could be a more exciting alternative, even though he has vanished from the picture since inspiring Juventus to a 3-0 demolition of newcomers Como on the opening Serie A weekend.
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