New USMNT goalkeeper? Weston McKennie prepared to play anywhere after seeing versatility put to good use by Juventus & the United States

The 26-year-old Washington native, who left America as a teenager to chase the dream in Europe at German side Schalke, is most at home in the middle of the pitch. His energy and ball-playing ability helps any engine room to tick over.

McKennie has, however, seen his versatility put to good use by club and country. Having stepped out of his favoured role at times with the United States, he has been deployed at full-back on a regular basis by Serie A employers Juventus - while also stepping into a false nine post.

McKennie has told FIFA’s official website of lining up wherever he is asked to: “As long as I’m playing, I’m happy. If you put me as goalkeeper and you tell me I’m starting now, I’ll play it. At least I’m on the field and I just want to do the best that I can to help the team and to win games.

“If you tell me that I score two goals but we lose or I score zero and we win, I’m the type of guy that takes the score zero and we win. So (it’s) definitely not that hard for me to do.”

McKennine added on being moved around the field: “I think I just understand all the positions in that way by playing them or I don’t feel like it’s very difficult to understand how you need to play a certain position – if you’re playing left-back and if you’re playing right-back or if you’re playing striker, what you need to do in those.

“It’s something that I’ve always been good at mentally to be able to do. I think playing many different sports as a young kid, adapting so often and always having to adapt to many things in my life, I think helps me with that.

“I’m not the egoist or anything. I’m not someone that's like, ‘Oh, if I’m not playing this position, I don’t want to play.’ I’m someone like, ‘I’ll play any position you want me to play'.”

McKennie’s willingness to slot in wherever his manager sees fit, while also making himself available when others decide to bow out, has earned him 60 senior international caps. He is also being lined up for a new contract on improved terms at Juventus - who are readying themselves for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.