With Weston McKennie apparently out of Juventus‘ plans last summer, the club removed his locker and even his parking spot, USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter revealed on Wednesday.
McKennie returned to Italy after a rather unsuccessful loan spell at Leeds United during the second half of the season, with Goal Italia later reporting that Juventus would look to offload him.
However, the Texas native has earned back his place – making 24 league starts this year – and Berhalter praised his resilience during a virtual press conference.
‘We can’t say enough about Weston and his growth over these last years. If you think about this, Weston was in a situation where he went back to Juventus after the summer and he didn’t have a locker, and he didn’t have a parking spot,’ Berhalter said.
‘And most players would say, ‘Okay, you know, I’m done. I’m leaving this club, it’s not for me.’ And Weston said, ‘You know, ‘I’m gonna dig in, and I’m gonna prove that I belong.’ And he’s done not only that, not only does he belong, but he’s proven to be one of the best players of Juventus this year, and one of the top midfielders in Serie A.
Weston McKennie has clawed his way back into contention for Juventus in Serie A
USA men’s coach Gregg Berhalter praised the midfielder’s resilience on Wednesday
‘So it shows his mentality, it shows his growth as a person. And it shows that he’s able to take these obstacles and continue on and keep performing. And I think that’s a mark of a really good player.’
The midfielder has seven assists in Serie A this season, with Juventus in third place heading into a matchup with Genoa on Sunday.
McKennie suffered a shoulder injury late last month but returned to the field over the weekend, playing 87 minutes in a draw vs. Atalanta.
He was selected for Berhalter’s latest Nations League squad and will hope to help the Americans beat Jamaica in the semifinals.
Tyler Adams and Gio Reyna, who have been short of playing time recently, were both selected for the group as well.
