Juventus’s first full day of training in Hong Kong, held on Monday afternoon local time in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd of supporters, provided Luciano Spalletti with the opportunity to sharpen his squad’s tactical understanding ahead of Tuesday’s pre-season friendly against Chelsea. The session was intensive, structured, and revealing — not least for what it told us about the integration timelines of the club’s two new arrivals.
Kolo Muani and Alajbegovic: A Gradual, Careful Approach
Neither Randal Kolo Muani nor Kerim Alajbegovic participated fully in Monday’s group session. Having only completed their medicals and signed their contracts on Sunday, both players are following individualised athletic programmes designed to bring them progressively up to the physical level of the rest of the squad. The work has been focused on running loads and specific conditioning exercises, with the club’s medical and athletic staff monitoring their responses carefully on a daily basis. The objective is to have them fully integrated into collective work within the coming weeks — in time for the season’s competitive opening rather than any of the remaining pre-season friendlies.
Bremer, David, and McKennie: Positive Signs
The session ended with a finalised training match involving the majority of the squad — and among those taking part were both Gleison Bremer and Jonathan David, both of whom trained fully with the group. For Bremer, whose future remains the subject of ongoing transfer speculation with Galatasaray, participation in the collective session sends a clear signal: he remains part of Spalletti’s preparation regardless of what the market may yet produce.
David’s inclusion is similarly noteworthy. The Canadian striker, whose Juventus future is considered effectively over, continues to work professionally and without drama in an environment where he knows his days are numbered. His departure to Paris FC or another Ligue 1 club remains the expected outcome — but until that is finalised, he is training fully and contributing to the pre-season programme.
Weston McKennie and Francisco Conceição both completed part of Monday’s session on individual athletic programmes before joining the group — a managed approach to controlling their workloads during an intensive preparation period, rather than any cause for concern.
Tomorrow’s Chelsea Test
Tuesday’s friendly at Hong Kong Stadium against Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea carries real significance. It is the first opportunity to see the new Juventus — or at least the currently available version of it — against elite European competition, and the outcome will give Spalletti his clearest sense yet of where his squad stands physically and tactically. Kolo Muani and Alajbegovic will not feature, but the core of a squad that is beginning to take genuine shape will be on display. The new season is almost here.
