Thiago Motta was the Juve boss last summer, and was keen to revamp the squad he inherited. He didn’t give certain players a decent opportunity to impress and swiftly dispatched them.
This included Next Gen star defender Dean Huijsen, who has since joined Real Madrid after a single season at AFC Bournemouth.
There could be a repeat of that glaring error from Juventus with today’s sale of Samuel Mbangula to SV Werder Bremen for €10m (US$10.7m) on a five-year deal.
The left winger, who shone in the Next Gen team alongside Huijsen, only made his senior debut for the Bianconeri in last season’s opener. The U21 Belgium international scored 23 minutes into his debut, netting against Como.
Premier League interest rejected
He excelled under Motta to such an extent that the club turned down a winter transfer bid from West Ham United, as Mbangula was deemed to be an emerging star for Juventus.
His breakthrough season collapsed once Motta departed and was replaced by Igor Tudor in March. The 21-year-old made two substitute cameo Serie A appearances under Tudor, and failed to play even a single minute during their dismal Club World Cup campaign.
Mbangula’s trip to the United States for the cash-rich competition saw Juventus unsuccessfully attempt to push through a double deal for the sale of both the youngster and Timothy Weah to Nottingham Forest.
This disaster alerted a cluster of European clubs to his availability. AS Monaco, where he would have lined up alongside former Juve favorite Paul Pogba, and Werder Bremen were the most keen to land versatile Mbangula.
Youth journey to Juventus
Brussels-born and of Congolese descent, Mbangula’s career began with youth teams Leopold and Molenbeek Brussels Strombeek. He then joined Club Brugge, where he worked his way through the youth sides before joining the Anderlecht academy in 2019.
The following year he switched to the Turin titans, where his versatility was greatly admired during four campaigns with the Primavera and Next Gen teams. He was implemented on either flank, as well as a secondary striker and a more conventional no10.
After being elevated to the senior side he netted three Serie A goals, and made history with his winning Champions League strike over PSV Eindhoven in Turin last February.
Substitute Mbangula became both Juve's and Belgium's youngest-ever scorer in the knockout phase of European club football's elite competition, aged 21 years and 26 days.
International glory for Belgium beckons
Despite having represented Belgium at every level from U15, he has yet to play for the senior side. Although he was called up for last November’s Nations League games against Israel and Italy.
It appears to only be a matter of time for Mbangula to become a full-fledged international, which could be fast-tracked once he begins to shine in the German Bundesliga.
His potential has strangely been overlooked by Tudor, rather than Juventus. A repeat mistake of allowing a Next Gen graduate to leave on the cheap and become a star could well be on the cards, which would surely leave the Bianconeri kicking themselves once more.