Juventus Captain Locatelli Faces Meniscus Surgery

Juventus have been hit by another brutal injury blow, with captain Manuel Locatelli set for surgery on an external meniscus injury that will rule him out for months at a critical point in the season.

The midfielder suffered the problem during Sunday’s draw with Milan. Initial concern quickly turned into something far more serious. According to TuttoSport, further tests have confirmed that an operation is unavoidable, with the preferred route a meniscus repair rather than a simpler clean-up.

That choice speaks to the long term. A repair is considered the more durable solution for Locatelli’s knee, but it comes at a heavy short-term cost: the Italy international is expected to be sidelined for at least three months.

For Luciano Spalletti, it changes everything.

Spalletti’s midfield ripped apart

Juventus were already walking a tightrope in midfield. Now it looks like the rope has snapped.

Khephren Thuram is out of the picture until 2027 after his own surgery, removing one of the club’s key long-term investments from Spalletti’s plans for the foreseeable future. Weston McKennie has missed the last two matches with muscular fatigue, another body lost in the engine room at precisely the wrong time.

On Sunday against Milan, the absentees piled up. New signing Pape Sarr, brought in from Tottenham to add legs and energy, did not even make the squad. He arrived with a minor muscular issue and, crucially, without the necessary preparation to be thrown straight into a game of that intensity.

The result: a bench that looked thin, and a manager staring at a depth chart that suddenly feels alarmingly short.

A photograph from late August at the Stadio Benito Stirpe captured Spalletti looking dejected on the touchline during the Serie A clash with Frosinone. That expression now feels like a preview of the storm he is being forced to navigate.

Next Gen on standby

With options evaporating, Spalletti may have little choice but to dip into the club’s Next Gen setup.

Owusu is among the youngsters being seriously considered for a first-team opportunity as Juventus scramble for solutions. It is not a gentle introduction; it is a response to an emergency. But this is how careers can begin at big clubs: one injury, then another, and suddenly the academy door swings open.

If the captain’s absence stretches as expected, those young legs will not just be filling gaps in training. They will be asked to carry minutes, responsibility, and the weight of a shirt that demands control of every midfield battle.

Problems mounting across the pitch

The damage is not confined to the centre of the park.

Kenan Yildiz, recovering from foot surgery, is not expected back until after the November international break. His return will add creativity and spark higher up the pitch, but that is still weeks away.

Defensively, there is more bad news. Jeff Ekhator and Juan Cabal each face around another month out, limiting rotation and flexibility at the back just as the schedule begins to tighten. Andrea Cambiaso is also on the treatment table, working his way back from a minor ankle sprain.

One by one, key pieces have been stripped away. Locatelli’s injury, though, cuts deepest. He is not only the captain; he is the reference point in possession, the player who stitches Juventus’ structure together.

Now Spalletti must redraw the plan without him, lean on youth, and hope the season does not slip away before his leaders are back on the pitch.