USMNT
Weston McKennie injury update: what is the injury and how long is he out for?
The USMNT midfielder suffered an injury while playing for Juventus in Serie A. With an international call-up looming, his presence is in doubt.
Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie dislocated his shoulder in his side’s Serie A win over Frosinone on Sunday.
The player suffered the injury in the closing stages of the game which ended 3-2 to The Old Lady and saw McKennie get two assists; Juventus remain in second, 9 points from Inter Milan at the top of the table.
“We’ll see” was manager Massimiliano Allegri’s immediate assessment post-game, when he also confirmed that McKennie had indeed dislocated his shoulder.
This is not the first time the former Leeds players has had shoulder trouble, he experienced a near identical injury back in July 2022. It was not a serious issue, and McKennie was out on the sidelines for a period of two-weeks.
McKennie finding form after Premier League nightmare
McKennie has played 25 times for Juventus this season and at various points in the season has been touted as potentially the best player in the team. He returned to Juventus in the summer after a disastrous loan spell at then-Premier League side Leeds United, who McKennie joined in January 2023.
He played 19 times for the Yorkshire club and failed to impress; in the end the team, with fellow USMNT players Brenden Aaronson and Tyler Adams in the side, limped to relegation after consistently poor performances across the season under American coach Jesse Marsch, who was sacked.
When do the USMNT play next? Will McKennie play?
The upcoming match for the USMNT is against Jamaica in the CONCACAF Nations League on March 21. McKennie’s most recent game for the national side was back in November 2023, when he featured for the full 90 minutes against Trinidad & Tobago. The US won 3-0 and put one foot in the next round (they lost the second leg 2-1).
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Juventus coach Allegri did not give a timescale on McKennie’s return to the side and as such, there is no predicted date on when the midfielder might return to action. However, given that his previous injury did not keep him out for long, it is expected that he will at least be in contention for the upcoming call-up with the USA.
As for Juventus, they play Serie A strugglers Napoli in their next game. The reigning champions have not had things their own way this season and currently sit 9th in the domestic table. They played out a 1-1 draw at home against Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League recently in what was a strong second half under new manager Calzona, so it remains to be seen if they will pose a tough test for The Old Lady, who have European qualification well within reach.