Juventus were dealt a huge injury blow on Tuesday night as it was revealed that Weston McKennie had suffered a foot fracture.
The American was forced off late on in Juve’s 1-1 draw with Villarreal in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie following a challenge from substitute Pervis Estupinan. McKennie was in notable pain thereafter and he was unable to put any weight on his injured left foot as he made his way off the field and into the dressing room.
The exuberant midfielder had been one of Juve’s brightest performers on the night in what was another drab display from the Bianconeri. While they remain the favourites to advance into the quarter-finals following Tuesday’s draw in Spain, they missed a huge opportunity to kill off the tie after Dusan Vlahovic had given them the lead in the first minute.
Weston McKennie could miss the next two months with a foot fracture
🔴 Aggiornamento: frattura del secondo e terzo metatarso per #McKennie: stop lungo. #Juve #Juventus #VillarrealJuve
— Giovanni Albanese (@GiovaAlbanese) February 22, 2022
The early indications suggest that McKennie will join Federico Chiesa on the long-term absentee list in Turin.
X-rays revealed that the USMNT star had fractured both his second and third metatarsals in his left foot, as confirmed by La Gazzetta dello Sport’s Giovanni Albanese. As a result, he could miss up to two months of action which would rule him out until the end of April.
McKennie will be a big loss for the Bianconeri. After a difficult start to the season, his campaign ignited at the end of October and he’s since become one of Juve’s most consistent performers.
His prolonged absence means the Old Lady will look a little thinner in midfield for the foreseeable future. Massimiliano Allegri now has four senior options at his disposal: Manuel Locatelli, Arthur Melo, Denis Zakaria and Adrien Rabiot.
Unfortunately, it seems that his infatuation with Rabiot, who ended Tuesday’s game horribly after a good first half, will be perpetuated further.