Leandro Paredes skips team lunch after heated clash with Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri during open training session - Reports
Leandro Paredes reportedly skipped team lunch after a heated argument with Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri during an open training session on Monday (April 10) morning.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Football-Italia), Paredes confronted the Italian manager in front of a large chunk of the Juventus squad at the Continassa training center. He expressed his frustration related to the lack of playing time since joining the club on loan last summer.
Such was his anger that the 2022 FIFA World Cup-winning midfielder skipped the team lunch scheduled later in the day with the players, staff members and their families. He hasn't been a regular part of Allegri's starting XI and has started just 11 games across competitions this season.
Paredes arrived at the Allianz Stadium on a season-long loan from Paris Saint-Germain with a conditional obligation to buy in the summer. However, after Juventus' elimination from the UEFA Champions League group stage earlier this season, they're no longer required to pay Paredes' €20 million fees.
Instead, the Old Lady want to invest that money in Sassuolo's 23-year-old defensive midfielder Davide Frattesi. It remains to be seen if Allegri and the board take any action against Paredes.
The former AS Roma midfielder has started just two of Juventus' last 22 Serie A games. The 28-year-old was also benched in both of the Italian giants' UEFA Europa League last-16 fixtures against Freiburg, which they won 3-0 on aggregate.
Massimiliano Allegri's Juventus still have hope for Champions League qualification
Juventus were deducted 15 points earlier this season after an Italian court found them guilty of false accounting with respect to their past transfer dealings.
The Old Lady trail fourth-placed AC Milan by eight points with just nine games left. With Atalanta and Inter Milan also between them and I Rossoneri in the table, it's tough for Juve to dream of a top-four finish.
However, they can guarantee qualification to the UEFA Champions League for next season by winning the UEFA Europa League this term. Juventus play Sporting CP in the first leg of their Europa League quarterfinal clash on Thursday (April 13).
They then travel to Lisbon for the return leg seven days later. The Italian giants last won the UEFA Cup in the 1992-93 season when they beat Borussia Dortmund 6-1 in the final.