Weston McKennie: How the USMNT star bounced back from Leeds fan abuse to become a key figure at Juventus

McKennie's final moments in a Leeds shirt weren't applauded. Not even close. The midfielder, nearing the end of a six-month loan that all involved were ready to move on from, was instead serenaded by three words by supporters: "You fat b*stard!"

It had become a typical jab from the English fans, who didn't take too long to sour on McKennie. The fact is, though, that the American never got to do what he was signed to do and never got to play the way he was signed to play.

Leeds' initial plan was to have McKennie play for Jesse Marsch in a system that saw him placed ahead of Tyler Adams. Marsch was almost immediately fired. Adams was almost immediately injured. That left McKennie miscast as a No.6 by several different managers who were coaching for their jobs each and every week.

In the end, Leeds were relegated. McKennie? Scapegoated. He was an easy one to blame, a player who was heading right on out of the club and not sticking around for the season's after-effects. The fat jokes continued on social media all summer, even as he left Leeds in the rearview mirror.

McKennie was at a new crossroads. His stock was at an all-time low after the Leeds debacle. And, as he moved back to Juventus, he had some decisions to make.

There were suitors there in the summer. Some in the Premier League, some in the Bundesliga. It was made apparent right from the start that McKennie's future could lie elsewhere. Juve had just loaned him to Leeds, after all, which is a pretty big glimpse into how the club's hierarchy rated him.

Excluded from parts of pre-season, the writing seemed to be on the wall. A move never came, though. McKennie, instead, stuck it out.

At first, he was a backup at right wing-back, where he played behind USMNT teammate Tim Weah. "You're looking at the starting right wing-back and the backup right wing-back right now," McKennie quipped back in September. As it turns out, though, that wing-back spot was the blessing he needed.

When Weah went down with an injury, McKennie got a bit more time. He thrived in it. He was shifted back to midfield when Paul Pogba and Nicolo Fagioli got suspended and he thrived again. And that leads us to where McKennie is now: undroppable.

When McKennie arrived back at Juventus, Allegri gave him a bit of advice.

"How did I transform McKennie? I didn't transform him," the Bianconeri boss explained. "I just told him during the summer that he had a great chance of staying at Juventus as long as he started running on July 15 and stopped on May 26."

That's a simplistic look at it, though, even if Allegri is onto something. McKennie's energy and endeavor has been key to his arrival, with the American adding a whole lot of life to the Juventus midfield so far this Serie A season.

Defensively, McKennie has been superb, ranking in the upper percentiles of Serie A in tackles and clearances. But just calling him a defensive presence is a disservice to a player who has added a whole lot of nuance to his attacking game.

McKennie has been a huge asset on the ball, too. He's in the 93rd percentile in progressive carries as he helps Juventus drive forward. His passing has been much improved, as he's made himself an above-average passer of the ball this season.

And then the assists? The recent two-assist performance in the Coppa Italia against Frosinone was magical, to say the least. He should have had a goal against Lecce, which would have been his first of the season, but Dusan Vlahovic's slide into the back of the net robbed him of that. Still, that's three assists in just a matter of weeks for a player who continues to make things happen for Juve all over the field.

It's been a look into the McKennie Leeds thought they were getting: one that can impact different facets of the game in a variety of ways. He's not a No.6 or a No.10, but a dynamic No.8 that can do so many different things that influence winning on any given day.

"He has not changed, but grown," Allegri said. "At Leeds, he matured and came back with a great desire to stay and do well. He has five months ahead of him and he still has to do even better."

It's not just those back in America seeing the rise of McKennie; no, Italy is also starting to give the midfielder his due.

Italian outlet Tuttosport ranked Juventus' best players of the season so far at the start of the year, and you'll never guess who had the best rating. With Juve contending right near the top of Serie A, McKennie was deemed to have been Juve's best player so far.

"In the summer, he was on the market, now he is untouchable," Tuttosport said. "He convinced Allegri with the work starting with the tour in the United States. As a midfielder or full-back, he played in all 17 matches."

It's still relatively early and there's still so much to play for but, at least so far, McKennie is becoming the planer and leader Juventus hoped he'd be.

Those inside the building at Juventus have also taken notice and it seems that a player that was once considered expendable is now due for a new deal.

GOAL can confirm that Juve are ready to open talks with McKennie over a new contract. The club is hoping to discuss a new deal that will keep him at the club long beyond his current contract, which ends in 2025. Just a few months after loaning him out, Juve see McKennie as a key part of the club's future both in the short and long term.

For the short part of that, the club is pushing for a Serie A title this season. The Old Lady sit one point ahead of Inter through 21 matches and, without the rigors of European soccer on the schedule, Juve do have a built-in advantage. It's been three whole seasons since the club has claimed a Scudetto, which now doubt feels like a lifetime at a club as successful as Juventus.

As for the long-term, who knows what's next? Things change quickly, and McKennie is the best example. In just a few months, McKennie has made himself indispensable while proving every doubter he had wrong.

"I’m someone who always tries to think positively," he told 8by8 Magazine. "I believe in God, I believe there’s always a plan, there’s a journey that’s set out for you, and everything happens for a reason. So, I still view my move to Leeds as a step forward for me. It might not be in other people’s eyes. But I think that’s what I needed at that time in my career.

"Every player can get a little bit complacent and comfortable with what they’re doing. I think going to Leeds and having the experience I had there, I may have let some people down. I may have let some fans down who supported Leeds and believed in me.”

“When I left Leeds, I knew I had a bad showing," he added. "I knew I didn’t have the time that I thought I was going to have or that maybe I should have had. It put me in a mindset that when I came back here to Juventus, I was starting brand new. I’m going back to Juventus like it’s my first time. I have to prove myself all over again.”

Prove himself he has. After all of the ugliness, McKennie is becoming the player many believe he can be and, if he continues on this path, he may very well become better than anyone could have imagined.