Juventus name roster for German training retreat and friendly

Juventus are on the verge of their first-of-its-kind preseason retreat to Germany, using the same training center that the German national team recently used as they hosted Euro 2024. The trip will be capped off by their first friendly of the preseason against FC Nurnburg.

On Saturday, Juve released the traveling squad for the training camp.

There are a number of notable inclusions and exclusions on the list, the majority of which are either due to injury or extended vacations after international duty.

Daniele Rugani, Filip Kostic, Mattia De Sciglio, and Arthur Melo are the players missing out due to injury—though it should be noted that all four have been rumored to be on the team’s sell list this summer, the latter three quite firmly so. Wojciech Szczesny has also been ticketed for an exit after the team purchased Michele Di Gregorio as his replacement this summer, but the official reason he’s not traveling with the team is extended vacation following the Euros. The situation is similar for Weston McKennie, who played in the Copa America for the USMNT but is also likely to be moved this summer. Danilo, Bremer, and Douglas Luiz are likewise still on vacation after participating in the Copa America with Brazil.

Kenan Yildiz is likely a combination of the two excuses. Turkyie went to the quarterfinals at the Euros, and the youngster is also a week out from surgery to correct an issue with his nasal septum—the likely cause of the appearance of the Jerry Rice-esque nose spreader late in the year—and has not yet begun to train.

Two players who are skipping the trip don’t fit into either category. The first is Federico Chiesa. While transfer rumors continue to swirl around him, the reason for his absence is far more serene: he was excused for his wedding on Saturday, and will resume training at Continassa once the festivities are over. The other major name we aren’t seeing is Dean Huijsen, and his exclusion comes with little in the way of details. He isn’t playing for Spain at the Olympics, and while he is another player who may be sold this summer, nothing seems imminent enough to merit his skipping this trip—especially considering how his skill set might help compensate for the inability to sign Riccardo Calafiori.

Of the players who are on the list, the biggest surprise is Matias Soule. The Argentine winger has been the subject of intense sale rumors all summer as a way for Juve to inject some cash into the books, and Roma have been steadily working their way towards a deal for him in the last week. However, it’s known that Thiago Motta is a fan of his, and he may want to use this camp as a last way of evaluating the youngster before potentially trying to put his foot down with the front office to block a transfer.

The fact that Tim Weah, who also played at the Copa America, is on the roster may raise some eyebrows as to whether or not McKennie is indeed being punished for his conduct during the negotiations for the Douglas Luiz deal, but it could also simply be a reflection of the fact that he only played about a game-and-a-quarter before his tournament came to an abrupt end after his beyond-dumb red card against Panama.

It’s also interesting to note some of the numbers new and returning players have been assigned. While these won’t be official until they’re registered before the season begins, it looks as though Kephren Thuram will be issued the No. 19 shirt, Juan Cabal No. 32, and Di Gregorio No. 29. The latter two could change before everything goes official based on whether other players (namely, De Sciglio and Szczesny) depart. Soule is sporting the No. 18 that recently belonged to Moise Kean—although if he stays around the No. 11 can’t be totally out of the question for him, especially if Kostic leaves. Teenage signing Vasilije Adzic is being given No. 17—an incredibly low number for a player his age and a clear sign of how highly regarded he is by Motta. The plan is for him to start his season with the NextGen, but if he proves himself on this trip those plans might accelerate.

Of the current NextGen and academy products that are taking the trip, keep an eye on center-back Faciundo Gonzalez, who had a solid season on loan under Andrea Pirlo at Sampdoria last year, and Luis Hasa, who may be the next attacking player to take a Yildiz-like step out of the youth ranks. Right back Tommaso Barbieri may be another player to monitor—he did well on loan at Palermo last season and the team is still quite short of full-backs.