Amidst the ravaging injury crisis, five Juventus youngsters have earned their maiden call-ups as Thiago Motta decided to add them to the matchday squad that made the trip to Lecce.
The Italian Brazilian manager has been deprived of the services of nine first-team players. The list includes Dusan Vlahovic, Weston McKennie, Douglas Luiz, Nico Gonzalez and Vasilije Adzic, while Nicolo Savona was the latest to forfeit after **suffering a slight muscle knock**in the Champions League fixture at Villa Park.
Moreover, the Bianconeri have been without Arkadiusz Milik since the start of the season. The Pole is expected to return to training in the middle of the month. On the other hand, Juan Cabal and Gleison Bremer could be out for the remainder of the season with ACL injuries.
Therefore, Motta had to resort to the club’s youth squads to plug the gaps, calling up players from Juventus Next Gen as well as the club’s Primavera side.
⚪⚫ The travelling squad for #LecceJuve 🗒️
👊 Powered by Azimut pic.twitter.com/p5WlgSZJEI
— JuventusFC 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@juventusfcen) November 30, 2024
18-year-old Filippo Pagnucco is one of the five youngsters to earn their first senior call-ups. The left-back is the captain of Juventus U20. Moreover, 17-year-old Alfonso Montero is also on the list. The Uruguayan teenager is the son of legendary Bianconeri defender Paolo Montero who has been recently relieved from his duties by the Next Gen squad.
Christos Papadopoulos and Augusto Owusu join the midfield ranks. The duo have been making waves with the Next Gen side this season. Finally, teenage striker Diego Pugno has been called up to add some depth to a depleted attacking department. He has scored six goals in the Primavera league.
So here is the full Juventus matchday squad as published by the club’s official website.
5 Locatelli
7 Conceicao
8 Koopmeiners
21 Fagioli
23 Pinsoglio
27 Cambiaso
29 Di Gregorio
42 Montero
45 Papadopoulos
46 Pagnucco
51 Mbangula