How USMNT star Weston McKennie came out fighting after ‘problems with Juventus’ – with American midfielder at his most dangerous when being ‘doubted’

The 25-year-old has enjoyed what could be considered the best season of his career, with an impressive contribution made to the collective cause in Turin. His 2023-24 campaign could, however, have played out very differently – with there reports when returning from a loan spell at Leeds that suggested he would be frozen out at Juve as they looked to force him into a permanent transfer elsewhere.

McKennine knuckled down, rather than pushing for the exits, and earned plenty of favour with Massimiliano Allegri. He also won over a fan base that had started to write him off, with 38 appearances taken in across all competitions – with his versatility and work rate being put to good use.

McKennie has now told Uproxx of rebuilding his reputation in Italy: “I think it was one of those, even coming back, it was difficult. I’m sure you’ve heard, I’ve had all the problems that I had with Juventus when I first came back, and yeah, it was one of those things where it wasn’t the first time in my career — it was the first time in my pro career, but not the first time in my career in general — where I’ve been doubted and been kind of pushed on the way out of things. And that’s whenever I became me and reverted back to the things that I know best, which is believing in myself, cutting out all the noise, putting my head down, going to work, and doing 100 percent in everything that I do. I think honestly, if I didn’t do that, then where I’m at right now, it’d be a little bit different.”

There is now talk of McKennie returning to English football, where he previously suffered relegation out of the Premier League at Leeds. He has only 12 months left to run on his current contract and, with no extension in place, has been mooted as a possible makeweight in Juve’s bid to prise Douglas Luiz away from Aston Villa.