The 21-year-old versatile defender suffered an injury, his team failed in their European exploits and his parent club are aiming to keep him to tackle next season’s Premier League campaign.
Veiga arrived on loan from Chelsea having only featured in seven league games. He finished on the winning side in his first four games sporting a Juventus jersey, and has been seen as a lucky charm for the Bianconeri.
Thiago Motta uses the Portuguese ace in his favoured position of center-back, and duly reeled off four wins on the spin with Veiga as a starter. This was the first time since being installed as head coach that Juve registered four consecutive victories.
But Motta’s prized asset, nicknamed as the “new wall” by supporters on social media platforms, got injured within 10 minutes of Juventus’ tame Champions League defeat to PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday.
Veiga was substituted, replaced by Andrea Cambiaso who was only just back from an short-term ankle problem. Juve looked shaky in defense for the rest of the tie without Veiga’s contribution.
Tests held yesterday afternoon at the J Medical Centre in Turin have revealed that Veiga has an injury to the tendon of the plantar gracilis of his right leg. Recovery time is expected to be a minimum of a fortnight.
This will be a big blow for Juventus, who had looked solid in defense with Veiga. His arrival had seen an upward change in fortunes.
Veiga’s impact for the Italian giants as such a key player has resulted in Chelsea having a rethink about the left-footer. He was utilised this term by Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca in various roles, including midfield, but this prompted Veiga’s request to be loaned out.
Juventus came calling and it seems like a perfect marriage. However, Veiga’s success has resulted in the Londoners appearing reluctant to allow him to move on. Chelsea have this week slapped a €33 million (US$34.5m) price tag on Veiga, but are not currently open to any bids.
Juventus had shown a keen interest in securing the signature of the Portuguese international in the summer, as part of Project Motta.
That potential deal seems to have been scuppered, with Chelsea now aware of Veiga’s top tier capabilities and the Bianconeri out of the equation to receive further finances from the Champions League after being unceremoniously dumped out of Europe.