Juventus Faces Injury Crisis as Locatelli Undergoes Surgery
Juventus have been dealt a brutal blow at the worst possible time. Captain Manuel Locatelli will undergo surgery on his right knee after tests confirmed a serious injury to his external meniscus, suffered in Sunday’s bruising draw with AC Milan at the Allianz Stadium.
The 28-year-old came off feeling discomfort, and the club’s medical staff feared the worst. The scans confirmed it. No quick fix, no patch-up job. Juventus have chosen a meniscus suture, a more complex repair rather than simply removing the damaged tissue, a decision made with the long term firmly in mind.
It’s the right choice for his career. It’s a nightmare for this season.
A suture means at least three months out, according to Tuttosport. Locatelli is effectively gone until the winter break, stripping Juventus of their captain, their midfield anchor, and one of the few constants in a season already stretched to breaking point.
Midfield stripped bare
The timing could hardly be more punishing. The midfield was already creaking; now it’s close to collapse.
Khephren Thuram is out long term after surgery for a femoro-patellar syndrome, a serious knee issue that has wiped out his present and clouded his future. His return isn’t expected until 2027. That is not an absence, it’s a void. Locatelli had been the one holding the structure together, plugging gaps, dictating play from deep, giving Juventus some semblance of control.
Now he joins the casualty list.
Weston McKennie has already missed the last two games with persistent muscular fatigue, unable to shake off the problem enough to be risked. Pape Sarr, signed in the summer from Tottenham Hotspur, has barely had time to unpack. He arrived with a minor muscular issue and, without a proper pre-season, has been nowhere near ready to slot straight into the starting XI.
So the heart of the team is reduced to makeshift solutions and tired legs. Just as the season begins to harden, Juventus are running out of trusted midfielders.
Attacking edge blunted
The problems don’t stop in the middle of the pitch. Up front, the absence of Kenan Yildiz continues to weigh heavily.
The young forward remains a long-term absentee after foot surgery, with his return pencilled in for after the November international break. His creativity and unpredictability in the final third have already been missed in recent draws, where Juventus have struggled to unpick tight, disciplined defences in Serie A.
Take away Yildiz between the lines and Locatelli’s passing from deep, and the picture turns darker. The build-up slows. The variety disappears. Opponents can sit in, safe in the knowledge that the usual sources of invention are either in the treatment room or short of rhythm.
Defence feeling the strain
Even at the back, where Juventus have traditionally found stability, the injury list bites.
Jeff Ekhator and Juan Cabal are both sidelined and expected to miss roughly another month as they work through their respective recovery programmes. They are not the headline names, but they are the depth every contender needs across a long campaign.
Andrea Cambiaso, at least, offers a sliver of positive news. The Italy international is dealing with a minor ankle sprain, and there is cautious optimism that he will return sooner than the others. But until he does, the defensive rotation remains thin and fragile.
Spalletti turns to youth
With senior options vanishing one by one, Luciano Spalletti has little choice but to turn inward.
The Juventus Next Gen squad, competing in the lower tiers of Italian football, is no longer just a development project. It is about to become a lifeline. Several youngsters are expected to be pulled into first-team training and matchday squads to plug gaps and raise the intensity in sessions.
One name keeps coming up in technical meetings: Augusto Owusu. The young midfielder has caught the eye with his performances for the reserve side, impressing scouts and staff alike. He may find his path to the first team accelerated not by design, but by necessity.
Juventus wanted this season to be about evolution and consolidation. Instead, it’s become a test of resilience. With their captain heading for the operating table and the spine of the squad patched together, the question is no longer just how high this team can climb—but how long they can keep standing.
