Juventus have said that their skipper Giorgio Chiellini will be out of action for six months after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury during training.
The 35-year-old started the season well by scoring the winner in Juve’s Serie A opener against Parma. However, he suffered the injury in training and missed the Bianconeri’s match against Napoli which they won 4-3.
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Juventus released a statement on their official website that Chiellini’s surgery in Innsbruck was successful and he’s expected to return within 6 months. The club’s statement read: “This afternoon, Giorgio Chiellini underwent surgery to reconstruct the anterior cruciate ligament of the right knee. The intervention, performed at the Hochrum clinic in Innsbruck by Professor Christian Fink in the presence of the Juventus Club Doctor, Dr. Tzouroudis, was perfectly successful. The expected recovery time is around 6 months.”
Chiellini’s absence will be a major blow for Juve but it will also give Matthijs de Ligt a lot of first-team football. Leonardo Bonucci will captain the squad in the absence of his club and country teammate.
Provided he returns in 6 months, the Italian international could still be available for selection in the Azzurri’s Euro 2020 squad. Having an experienced player like Chiellini would certainly be a big boost for Roberto Mancini’s squad who will be aiming to win their first European Championship in more than 5 decades.
