Juventus left-back Andrea Cambiaso was reportedly carrying a knock before succumbing to injury last weekend.
Just when the injury crisis was beginning to ease out with the likes of Dusan Vlahovic, Nicolo Savona, Weston McKennie and Douglas Luiz returning to the fold, the Bianconeri were dealt a new blow in Saturday’s Serie A contest against Bologna when Cambiaso had to vacate his spot on the pitch for Jonas Rouhi.
But while the Italian left the pitch with a concerned look on his face, the medical tests provided some sort of relief,ruling out any serious injuries. The club revealed that the versatile full-back has only suffered a strain in his left ankle, so he shouldn’t be out of action for long. In fact, some remain hopeful of an immediate return in Wednesday’s Champions League contest against Manchester City.
However, Tuttosport (via IlBianconero) has now revealed that Cambiaso had already been dealing with a problem in his ankle prior to his injury.
Andrea Cambiaso in third Juventus kit
The Turin-based newspaper claims the Italy international had a sore ankle, and even had to take injections ahead of the previous encounter against Lecce. The source suggests that the knock he sustained against Bologna was a consequence of the extra effort he put into making himself available for the team.
Hence, it appears that the injury crisis has been truly taking its toll on the team, as the lack of alternatives is pushing those available to their limits, thus causing new injuries.
So at this point, we can only hope that the absentees return as swiftly as possible, as the team can ill-afford to navigate through the over-packed schedule with such a thin squad.
While this doesn’t entirely justify the club’s uninspiring run, the lack of depth is certainly one of the main causes behind the recent hollow displays.