Juventus Faces Major Setback as Locatelli Undergoes Surgery
Juventus have been dealt a brutal blow: captain Manuel Locatelli will be out for months after scans confirmed a serious knee injury suffered in Sunday’s tense draw with AC Milan at the Allianz Stadium.
The 28-year-old came off with discomfort in his knee, and the post-match examinations brought the news the club feared most. Tests revealed a significant lesion to the external meniscus, severe enough to demand immediate surgical intervention. Juventus have chosen the more complex path: repair, not removal.
According to Tuttosport, the club’s medical staff favour a meniscus suture. It is the sturdier, career-minded solution, but it comes with a heavy price — a recovery period of at least three months. In practical terms, Locatelli is not expected back before the winter break. For a side already stretched thin in midfield, that is a hammer blow.
Midfield crisis deepens
The timing could hardly be more damaging. Juventus were already operating on the edge in the middle of the pitch, and Locatelli had become the stabilising presence in a department ravaged by absences.
Khephren Thuram is already out long term after undergoing surgery to resolve a femoro-patellar syndrome. His prognosis is stark: the Frenchman is not expected to return to competitive action until 2027. Locatelli had been one of the players compensating for that gaping hole in the centre of the park. Now he joins the casualty list.
The strain does not stop there. Weston McKennie, a key reference point in the engine room, has missed the last two matches due to persistent muscular fatigue. His situation has forced Juventus to manage him cautiously, stripping the team of yet another experienced option at a time when continuity is desperately needed.
Pape Sarr, signed in the summer from Tottenham Hotspur to add energy and legs, has not yet been able to shoulder the load. He arrived in Turin with a minor muscular issue and, without a full pre-season, has lacked the rhythm and conditioning to be thrown straight into the starting XI. For now, he remains more promise than solution.
Attacking edge blunted
The injury storm has not spared the forward line either. Kenan Yildiz, one of the brightest attacking talents in the squad, remains a long-term absentee after foot surgery. His return is not expected until after the November international break.
His absence is already visible in the numbers and in the performances. Without Yildiz’s flair and unpredictability in the final third, Juventus have laboured in recent matches, often stalling against organised, deep-lying defences in Serie A. Now, stripped also of Locatelli’s passing range and calm distribution from deep, the team risks becoming even more predictable when trying to unlock compact blocks.
Defence under strain
The back line is feeling the squeeze as well. Jeff Ekhator and Juan Cabal are both sidelined and projected to miss roughly another month as they work their way back from their respective injuries. Their absences chip away at the defensive depth that coaches lean on during the gruelling autumn schedule.
There is at least a glimmer of better news with Andrea Cambiaso. The Italian international is dealing with a minor ankle sprain, and there is cautious optimism that he could return sooner than many of his injured teammates. His versatility across the defensive line could quickly become vital once he is back at full tilt.
Turning to the kids
With senior options evaporating, Luciano Spalletti is being pushed toward a solution that Juventus have often talked about but rarely been forced to fully embrace: the youth ranks.
The Juventus Next Gen squad, competing in the lower tiers of Italian football, is set to become a lifeline. Several youngsters are expected to be drafted into first-team training and, increasingly, into matchday squads as the calendar tightens and the injuries pile up.
One name is already echoing through technical meetings at Continassa: Augusto Owusu. The young midfielder has caught the eye with his performances for the reserve side, impressing scouts and staff alike with his maturity and presence. In normal circumstances, his path might have been gradual. Now, the door to the first team is swinging open much faster.
Juventus find themselves in a familiar position for a big club with big ambitions: forced to improvise, to trust youth, and to survive a critical stretch without key pillars. The question is no longer whether they can cope without Locatelli and Thuram.
It is how far this patched-together side can go before the cavalry finally returns.
