Juventus are dealing with eight sidelined players, and the strain is now obvious across the squad. By the end of October, 16 players had already passed through the medical room, while Manuel Locatelli is set for a 5-6 month absence after surgery on the lateral meniscus of his right knee.
Locatelli's surgery and the November break window
Sky Sport Italia reported that Locatelli underwent surgical repair after the sprain trauma to his right knee, with the operation described as perfectly successful. The club's update leaves no real wiggle room on the timeline, even if the exact month of return sits in that 5-6 month range.
The rest of the list is built around shorter absences, but it is still heavy enough to force changes in November. Nico González and Zeki Çelik have been added to the long list and should be back after the November break. Francisco Conceição is in the same lane, while Kenan Yıldız also has a return linked to that window.
The size of the problem for Spalletti
Khéphren Thuram is the longest-term issue outside Locatelli, with a return not expected before 2027 after chondroplasty in Lyon. That leaves L. Spalletti trying to cover a run of fixtures with one eye on a return window and another on a midfield core that has already been thinned out.
The current injury burden is awkward on its own, but the wider league context makes it worse. Juventus are 8th in Serie A after 7 matches and 7th in the UEFA Europa League after 3 matches, so every absence lands in a crowded schedule rather than in a quiet spell. Locatelli's timeline is the one to watch first, with the next confirmed return window centred on the November break.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
