5 Juventus players who need to impress in pre-season
Serie A giants Juventus are aiming to shake off last season's disappointment as they welcome former manager Massimiliano Allegri to the helm. The Bianconeri were ousted from the pinnacle of Italian football and witnessed their nine-year-long dominance in the top-flight come to an end after finishing fourth last term.
Due to their harrowing experience under the tutelage of Andrea Pirlo, Juventus opted to part ways with the player-turned-manager. And in a bid to wrestle back supremacy from current champions Inter Milan, the club have reunited with Allegri, who previously enjoyed unparalleled success during his five-year stint in Turin.
Juventus set to face Barcelona in pre-season
The Old Lady are in line to face Barcelona at the Camp Nou next month as part of their pre-season preparations, following a meeting with second-division outfit Monza.
Although as many as 12 Juventus players participated in Euro 2020 and Copa America, Allegri is expected to have enough personnel to work with during his first pre-season training session leading up to the fixtures.
As the Italian tactician aims to evaluate his resources at Juventus for the upcoming campaign, we profile five players who are in desperate need of making an impression during pre-season:
#5 Luca Pellegrini
Since earning his big move to Juventus back in 2019, Pellegrini has yet to receive a breakthrough in Turin. At 22, the Italian has age on his side. However, recurring injuries have hampered his development in recent seasons.
The left-back, who can also feature in midfield, impressed during his loan stint at Cagliari before an ankle injury brought a premature end to his 2019/20 season.
There was still enough evidence of his potential for Genoa to snap him up on a season-long deal though. Unfortunately, Pellegrini was restricted to just seven starts last season after picking up multiple injuries.
18-year-old academy graduate Gianluca Frabotta is the current back-up left-back for Alex Sandro at Juventus. Although Frabotta notched up more minutes than Pellegrini last term, the latter could force his way up the pecking order should he light up pre-season.
#4 Merih Demiral
Nothing has gone according to plan for Demiral since his switch to Juventus from Sassuolo. The Turkish centre-back struggled to force his way into the playing eleven during the first half of his debut 2019/20 season before a ruptured ligament kept him on the sidelines in the second half of the campaign.
Demiral made as many as 24 appearances last season, but the defender had to deal with recurring muscle injuries. Notably, the 23-year-old clocked just 20 minutes of playing time in the final 13 Serie A fixtures last season.
Expectations were not met during Euro 2020 either as Demiral and Turkey crashed out of the group stages without a point. Contrastingly, Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci have reinstated their glowing reputation by lifting the continental championship this summer.
At this rate, Demiral will almost definitely have to wait for his chance under Allegri. However, he will be hopeful about forcing his way into the setup courtesy of a strong pre-season.