This summer, it looked like Weston McKennie would have to find a new club. Not for the first time, the American midfielder was told he was surplus to requirements at Juventus. A move to FC Cincinnati in MLS was mooted, but once again McKennie has found a role for himself at the Allianz Stadium.
Indeed, McKennie has started Juve’s last two matches and has impressed. The 26-year-old was particularly eye-catching in the Champions League victory over PSV in which he found the back of the net. New manager Thiago Motta has been won over by the versatility and skill set of the USA international.
Motta placed an emphasis on rebuilding Juve’s midfield over the summer. Douglas Luiz was signed from Aston Villa with Khephren Thuram also arriving from Nice. Many, however, considered Teun Koopmeiners to be the marquee addition to the midfield unit with the Netherlands international the creative force Juve desperately lacked through the middle last season.
Manuel Locatelli also started the season strongly after becoming a figure of derision at the Allianz Stadium. Motta has refocused the Italian international on the basics and this has resulted in Locatelli looking like the player who shone brightly for the Azzurri when they won Euro 2020. He has been reborn.
With so many top-level players vying to feature in Motta’s new-look midfield, it was widely expected that McKennie would be squeezed out and Juve reported were open to bids for the USA international over the summer. Had the right offer been lodged, McKennie likely would have departed Turin.
It was a similar story for McKennie last season. After returning from an ill-fated loan spell at Leeds United, it was thought the midfielder would be moved on by Juventus. The Serie A club informed McKennie that he would play no part in the 2023/24 season only for the American to start 29 league matches.
Max Allegri deployed McKennie as both a wing back and a wide midfielder depending on the formation being used. In Motta’s new system, though, these positions don’t exist. This was partly why so many believed McKennie would be a peripheral figure under the new Juventus manager this season.
The reality, however, has been very different. Motta has used McKennie in his central midfield unit. This, of course, is where McKennie has played much of his career and operates for the US men’s national team, but few thought he would satisfy Motta’s demands in this position. McKennie is proving his doubters wrong.
While it’s true McKennie doesn’t have the skill set to act as a rhythm builder in possession at the base of the midfielder, his energy and positional awareness has given Juve a different dimension through the centre of the pitch. Motta has given McKennie the freedom to join attacks from deep, as he did for his goal against PSV last week.
To date, Luiz has started just one league match for Juventus since making the summer switch from the Premier League. Motta has justified this by pointing out Luiz’s Copa America duties over the summer and the fact he didn’t have much of a pre-season as a result. This is why Luiz is being held back from the first team.
It is therefore reasonable to assume that Luiz will be in the first team at some point in the near future with Koopmeiners and Thuram also sure to be a big part of Motta’s midfield plan. McKennie still has a lot of work to do to nail down a permanent place in Motta’s strongest lineup, but he has made a habit of succeeding against the odds.
