Igor Tudor’s tenure as permanent boss kicked off at the cash-rich Club World Cup with a pair of hefty wins, followed by back-to-back games where they were chasing shadows.
His dip into the transfer market has been extremely slow, although two outcasts have been sold while a trio of dynamic players have joined Juventus.
Yet pre-season training saw striker Arkadiusz Milik join four team-mates in the treatment room. Second-choice shotstopper Mattia Perin as well as the defensive trio of Juan Cabal, Lloyd Kelly and Nicolo Savona were all absent for Tudor’s workout.
The Poland international, who missed the whole 2024/25 campaign through a set of injuries, was unable to join his colleagues yesterday (24 July) for the first full day of training.
This was because he suffered an accident in the Juventus gym. The 31-year-old has a cut to the back of his right tibial area, his calf muscle, which is expected to be fully healed in a week.
Milik has played for Juve since he suffered a serious knee injury while on international duty in June 2024. Once he recovered from surgery, having missed 25 games, he sustained a calf injury followed by muscular problems.
Contract renewed to offload Milik
He extended his Juventus contract last April until 2027, which was to balance the books at the club. Milik agreed to take a drastic annual salary cut, from €3.5 million (US$4m) to €1.75m (US$2m), with the intention that he will be loaned out for the next two seasons.
There had been rumours that there would be an early termination of his contract following persistent injury problems.
The only alternative was for the club to try and sell the former Napoli hot-shot during the summer transfer window. A straightforward sale appeared highly improbable because of Milik’s steep salary wages and declining input at the Bianconeri.
Milik’s future remains uncertain, as his fitness levels could result in being unable to pass a medical if he is sent on loan to a rival Serie A side before the season kicks off on 24 August.