Juventus manager Thiago Motta is reportedly using Weston McKennie in a new position during training. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, the United States men’s national star is being deployed as a winger in practice sessions. McKennie typically features in the middle of the pitch as a central midfielder.
The American’s future was previously up in the air for most of the summer. McKennie was linked with a plethora of teams throughout the transfer market. A switch to Premier League side Aston Villa was seemingly close back in June.
Juve was looking to use the USMNT star as bait to sign Douglas Luiz. While the Old Lady did manage to grab the Brazilian, they had to send other players to Villa instead. McKennie apparently could not agree on terms with the English club.
Despite seemingly being seen as surplus goods, Motta told reporters in August that McKennie is a “useful and functional player” for the club. The midfielder signed a new contract extension with Juve five days later. He is now tied down to the club until 2026.
Juve’s decision to give McKennie a new contract was surprising. After all, Motta has several stars available in central midfield. This includes Luiz, but also Manuel Locatelli, Khephren Thuram, and Nicolo Fagioli. New summer signing Teun Koopmeiners can also work in the middle of the pitch.
Partially because of this competition, McKennie has only managed to play one game so far this season for his club. The lone appearance came as a second-half substitute for Locatelli ahead of the international break. He has remained on the bench in Juve’s other three Serie A fixtures during the current campaign.
Motta, however, may now be looking to use McKennie in different positions to give the American more playing time. While the USMNT star does not have much experience as a true winger, he has previously played out wide before. Former Juve manager Max Allegri previously deployed McKennie as a wing-back at times during his reign.
Sam Allardyce also opted to put the American out wide during his disappointing spell with Leeds at the end of the 2022/23 season. For the USMNT, McKennie also usually plays more centrally as well. Nevertheless, Gregg Berhalter used the midfielder out wide in a 4-4-2 formation against Uruguay in July. It was the manager’s final match in charge of the national team.
Both McKennie and USMNT fans will want to see the player on the pitch as much as possible. This means that the American will have to occupy other positions. Nico Gonzalez and Francisco Conceição are the only two true right-wingers in Juve’s squad at the moment. Both stars recently came in during the summer transfer market. Fellow American Tim Weah can also play in the role.
Conceição, however, is currently dealing with a muscular injury and will be out of action for a few weeks. The temporary setback could give McKennie a chance in the position. The USMNT star may not have the electrifying pace to succeed as a winger, but he can still be useful in the role.
Motta may use McKennie in the position when he knows his team will have plenty of possession. Juve currently averages 58.3% of possession in Serie A play. The American could use his clever passing abilities to break down opposing defenses when Juve has numbers going forward. Nevertheless, potentially putting McKennie out wide would also seemingly hinder Weah’s playing time as well.
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