Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie is expected to be sidelined for at least two months after initial scans revealed a fractured second and third metatarsal on his left foot, CBS Sports insider Fabrizio Romano confirms. The injury rules him out of the final batch of Concacaf World Cup qualifiers as the United States men’s national team fight to book a ticket to Qatar this winter with March fixtures against Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica.
The start of Juve’s 1-1 Champions League draw at Villarreal in the round of 16 could not have been better, with Dusan Vlahovic netting the opener only 32 seconds into the game. Little did Juve manager Massimiliano Allegri know that it would be all downhill from there for his team. Dani Parejo would take advantage of Juventus sleepwalking through the match to level things in the 65th minute, and with just about 10 minutes to go, Juventus saw McKennie hobble off the field in considerable pain without being able to put any weight on his left foot.
It all came from a Pervis Estupinan challenge down the sideline in the 81st minute, McKennie rolled his ankle and had to receive treatment from the medical team as he hobbled off. He was taken off immediately and was unable to put weight on the ankle as he left the stadium in a walking boot.
This is obviously a huge loss in the center of the park for Juventus and USMNT, as he has been the engine for both club and country in the midfield. During the match, McKennie had created three chances but was seeing less of the ball than he is used to with only 39 touches due to an impressive defensive shift from Villarreal. He had four recoveries and got off one shot that was off target. But both for Juventus and the United States men’s national team, any time missed by McKennie would be a concern. If it is an ankle fracture, McKennie will miss the final three World Cup Qualifiers for the United States and the remainder of the season would be in doubt for Juventus.
You can watch Juventus in both Champions League and Serie A action and the USMNT in Concacaf World Cup qualifying all on Paramount+.
