Juventus in a crisis; another star player is set to undergo surgery

It never rains but it pours for Juventus. As if the injuries suffered by Kenan Yildiz and Khephren Thuram weren’t enough, Luciano Spalletti will also have to do without Manuel Locatelli for several weeks. The Bianconeri captain, who suffered a knee injury during the home match against Milan at Allianz Stadium, joins the list of long-term absentees.

Initial findings and medical tests conducted at J|Medical are clear: the meniscus injury is likely to keep him sidelined for at least three months. However, surgery is being considered to facilitate a targeted recovery, with the goal of seeing him back on the field immediately after the November international break.

Last week, Arek Milik was definitively excluded from Juventus’ future plans: the Polish forward was not included by Luciano Spalletti on the list of players eligible for Serie A, after having already been cut from the roster submitted to UEFA for European competitions. Milik, who is under contract with the Turin club through 2027, remained with the Bianconeri at the end of the summer transfer window but is, in effect, completely out of the Old Lady’s plans.

Following Woltemade’s arrival, there was no longer any room for Arek Milik: the player is paying the price for a series of injuries that have kept him sidelined for most of the past few years. Over the last two seasons, Milik has played just two official matches in the black-and-white jersey. According to rumors, the Polish striker reportedly rejected a mutual termination of his contract, determined not to leave Turin and convinced he still had a chance to prove himself; his decision, however, forced the club to remove him from the list.

Last June, in an interview with Kanal Sportowy, Milik described his ordeal: “I had a major problem in early 2025; those weren’t pleasant times, but I don’t think it was depression. I’d hit rock bottom. Soccer used to be my escape, and suddenly I’d find myself at the gym, working out, and bursting into tears. It was the first time something like that had ever happened to me. There were several times when I had to stop training and go to the bathroom to let it all out and cry.”