Juventus winger Federico Chiesa was substituted in Sunday’s 4-3 away win at Roma. The Italian international started facing difficulties in his movement around the 25-minute mark and eventually left the field 7 minutes later. It is now official that the young attacker has torn his ACL, and is facing several months on the sidelines.
Federico Chiesa Tears ACL
Chiesa to Miss Rest of The Season
Federico Chiesa was replaced by Dejan Kulusevski in Juventus’ Serie A clash with Roma. The winger is now known to have torn his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) and will require surgery, according to a Juventus statement.
Chiesa was spotted leaving AS Roma’s Stadio Olympico on a golf cart as the Italian could not walk. An ACL recovery is estimated to take six-to-nine months, meaning that the winger will not appear for Juventus again this season.
This also means that he will miss Italy’s crucial World Cup play-off vs Portugal, a huge blow for the Azzurri, who relied heavily on Chiesa’s top-notch performances to win Euro 2020. Should Italy qualify without his contribution, Chiesa will likely have enough time to recapture his form ahead of the World Cup in November 2022.
Chiesa’s injury was one of many events during Juventus’ thrilling 4-3 win at Roma. The Italian giants were 3-1 down to Jose Mourinho’s side but scored 3 goals in 7 minutes to overturn the deficit. The result puts the Turin-based club in fifth position, three points behind Atalanta in fourth and eleven off Inter Milan who top the table. Roma’s ninth defeat of the Serie A season sees them slip to seventh.
Can Juventus Sign a Replacement?
Chiesa’s injury comes at a time where teams are able to make transfers. The January transfer window means Juventus could look for a short-term replacement to cover his role. The next few days will indicate how they will approach the situation.
Juventus have been linked to a variety of players recently such as Mauro Icardi and Dusan Vlahovic, but no official progress has been made.
The Italian club have endured a difficult Serie A season following Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure in the summer. Last campaign was the first time in nearly 10 years that Juventus were not crowned champions of Italy. The resurgence of teams such as AC Milan, Inter Milan and Napoli have ended the Black and Whites’ dominance. Chiesa was one of the star players in the side following Ronaldo’s departure, further highlighting the impact of the injury. His replacement, Kulusevski, has not been in great form and will have to improve should he replicate Chiesa’s impact.
Federico Chiesa was spotted leaving hospital on crutches on Monday morning, stopping with fans to take pictures. Fans could be heard supporting Chiesa by shouting ‘Forza Federico!’
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