The injury news at Juventus refuses to relent. On the morning after Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Milan, the club resumed preparations for the next round of fixtures — and the session produced an unwelcome new development. Manuel Locatelli, the squad’s captain and the midfield pivot around whom everything at the Continassa is organised, has reported discomfort in the external part of his right knee following the Milan match and will be subjected to instrumental examinations at the J-Medical centre in the coming hours.
The Locatelli Alarm — The Most Consequential Injury Concern Yet
Concern is filtering through from inside the club, according to TuttoJuve’s Camillo Demichelis. The examination will establish whether the problem is minor — the kind of localised discomfort that can be managed without an extended absence — or whether it represents something more structural requiring a period on the sidelines.
The significance of Locatelli’s situation cannot be overstated in the context of the squad’s current resources. He is, quite simply, the one player in this Juventus squad whose absence is most difficult to compensate for. He is the positional anchor, the distribution hub, the organising intelligence around which Spalletti has constructed every training session and every tactical preparation since the summer began. Losing him — even briefly — on top of Thuram’s four-month absence following knee surgery, McKennie’s muscular fatigue, and Sarr’s physical problem carried over from Tottenham, would leave the midfield in a state of critical depletion.
Cambiaso, McKennie, and Sarr — No Change From Previous Days
The three players who were already working on individual programmes before Sunday’s match have continued on that path without any significant update. Andrea Cambiaso’s ankle injury is being managed carefully; McKennie’s muscular fatigue shows no sign of rapid resolution; and Pape Matar Sarr, who arrived from Tottenham carrying a physical problem that had prevented him from training regularly under Roberto De Zerbi in the final weeks of his time in London, continues to build his fitness away from the group.
All three represent potential — but none represents immediate certainty of availability. The inter-national break, which arrives after the next round of league fixtures, will provide some breathing space. But with the Europa League opener against NEC Nijmegen scheduled for 17 September — ten days away — the club cannot afford to wait for the situation to resolve itself passively.
The Injury List That Is Testing Every Limit
Spalletti said before the Milan match that he had nine players unavailable. The list now includes Yıldız (surgery, three months), Thuram (surgery, four months), Ekhator (muscle tear, six weeks), Cabal (muscle tear, several weeks), Cambiaso (ankle, uncertain), McKennie (muscular fatigue, uncertain), Sarr (physical carry-over, uncertain) — and now, potentially, Locatelli. The J-Medical examination will determine how serious the latest concern is. The results are awaited with considerable anxiety at the Continassa.
