Juventus Faces Injury Crisis as Locatelli and Boga Rule Out
The Allianz Stadium lights were barely cool after Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Milan when Juventus’ season took another sharp turn for the worse.
Already creaking under the weight of absences, the squad in Turin has been hit by two more damaging blows: Manuel Locatelli has undergone knee surgery and is expected to be sidelined for months, while Jeremie Boga has been ruled out with a thigh injury.
Locatelli out after meniscus surgery
The club confirmed on Monday that Locatelli travelled to Lyon for an operation on the external meniscus in his right knee, an injury suffered during that bruising encounter with Milan.
The diagnosis is brutal. The Italy international is not expected back before 2027.
Juventus announced that the procedure was carried out to suture the meniscus rather than remove it, a choice that often brings a longer recovery but can protect the joint in the long term. Sky Sport Italia reported that the lay-off could stretch to five or even six months, a timeline that would rule Locatelli out for a huge portion of the campaign.
For a side already stripped of midfield depth, losing the man who knits their play together in front of the defence is a tactical and emotional hit. Locatelli is not just a name on the teamsheet; he’s the metronome, the organiser, the one who absorbs pressure when games turn chaotic. Now Juventus must learn to live without him for the foreseeable future.
Boga blow deepens attacking worries
As if that weren’t enough, Juventus also confirmed bad news on Jeremie Boga.
The winger has been diagnosed with a medium-grade lesion to the femoral bicep in his left thigh. The club’s medical staff will reassess the injury with fresh tests in two weeks, but the early outlook is clear: Boga is expected to be out for at least a month, with a likely absence of around five weeks.
For a player who relies on acceleration and sharp changes of direction, any muscular problem in the thigh raises alarm bells. Juventus will not rush him. They cannot afford to turn a few weeks out into something far more serious.
A crisis stretching the squad to breaking point
These setbacks arrive on top of an already swollen casualty list. Kenan Yildiz, Khephren Thuram, Weston McKennie, Jeff Ekhator, Juan Cabal, Andrea Cambiaso and Pape Matar Sarr were all unavailable for the clash with Milan.
That is not a list, it is the skeleton of an entire matchday squad.
What was once a deep, competitive group is now a puzzle of makeshift solutions and emergency plans. Rotations become risks. Tactical tweaks become necessities. Every training session carries a hint of dread: who’s next?
Juventus have survived difficult periods before, built on resilience and defensive steel. This time, though, the challenge is different. It’s not just about form or confidence. It’s about bodies. About how long a squad can keep absorbing blows like this and still look like a contender rather than a patched-up version of itself.
The surgery is done, the scans are in, the timelines are set. Now the question hangs over Turin: can Juventus hold their season together while they wait for their key men to walk back through the dressing-room door?
