Juventus might lose best defender to surgery

Juventus center back Matthijs de Ligt may have to miss some time if he requires shoulder surgery.

Matthijs de Ligt is having shoulder concerns again. The new Juventus center back has taken some bumps recently, and if the Bianconeri lose him for a significant period of time, they would be without their top-performing center back thus far in 2020.

According to a report from Corriere di Torino, via Football-Italia.net, de Ligt had shoulder pain during Wednesday’s 3-3 draw with Sassuolo. The Dutch center back may need surgery on his shoulder, but the final decision will be made by both the player and team.

De Ligt initially dislocated his shoulder in the team’s first 2019-2020 fixture against Atalanta, but the shoulder issues have consistently popped up since then. So it’s a troubling situation for the young center back, who is starting to find his best form in Serie A after the initial adjustment period from Ajax.

There’s no doubt that de Ligt is Juve’s best defender right now. He’s outplayed Leonardo Bonucci side-by-side, and the defense completely imploded in a 4-2 loss to Milan without him. He and Merih Demiral are clearly the future for the Bianconeri as the long-term replacements for the old guard of Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini.

Juventini will hope that de Ligt can recover fully and swiftly if he does need surgery. All eyes will be peeled on further news regarding the young star’s status, because if he does undergo shoulder surgery upon the conclusion of the 2019-2020 Serie A campaign, then he may not be able to play in August in the Champions League. Juve are still in the midst of a tricky Round of 16 matchup with Ligue 1’s Lyon.

Regardless of what the future holds for de Ligt, he has been a huge success story in Turin thus far. De Ligt looks like a future world-class center back and the next great central defender to don the Black and White kit.