Juventus blow: Locatelli has knee surgery, out until 2027

Bad news at Juventus. Manuel Locatelli has undergone meniscus surgery and faces a long spell on the sidelines: the layoff reported by the sources runs until 2027. It is a heavy absence, as the midfielder is one of the pillars of the Turin side's engine room.

News of the operation was reported on the morning of 8 September by Calciomercato.com, which lists it as confirmed. This is not a mere rumour: the meniscus surgery has been carried out and, for a problem of this kind, recovery times are set to be long.

And the day does not bring only the Locatelli issue. In the afternoon a rumour also circulated, again from Calciomercato.com, about another stoppage: that of Boga. The winger is said to have a muscle problem in his hamstring and would be ruled out. For now it remains just a rumour, to be confirmed, but it lengthens the list of possible unavailable players in Turin.

On the pitch, so far, Juventus have delivered. After three matchdays the Bianconeri sit sixth in Serie A with 7 points, from two wins and a draw, and with only one goal conceded. The run features the 2-0 home win over Parma on matchday two and the 1-1 against Milan on matchday three: solid figures, but also built on the balance of a midfield that now loses a key piece.

The calendar, for once, helps: the international break gives Juventus a few extra days to reorganise. At the restart, though, the bill will come due: on 13 September the Bianconeri visit Sassuolo on matchday four, the first test for a midfield to be redrawn without Locatelli.