Juventus forward Angel Di Maria endured a painful Serie A debut, with an injury forcing him off the pitch 65 minutes into Monday's match. He had put in a lively performance to that point in a 3-0 win over Sassuolo but now faces concern about his status ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
The former Paris Saint-Germain winger has now undergone tests on his injury and Juventus have confirmed the severity of the problem, announcing an adductor injury that will be re-evaluated in 10 days.
Di Maria needed just 25 minutes to score his first league goal for his new club with a left-footed volley, and the Argentina international added an assist by teeing up Dusan Vlahovic. He will be worried, however, that his injury could hamper his acclimation to Italian football and perhaps even put him at risk for Qatar.
What has Allegri said about Di Maria's injury?
Massimiliano Allegri spoke about Di Maria's injury after his team's 3-0 win but insisted he was not too worried to see his new signing forced off early in the season opener.
"I am not worried," he said. "We’ll see what the tests say tomorrow. Unfortunately, these things happen in football.
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"He had this adductor issue a week ago too, perhaps I should’ve taken him off when we were 3-0 up, but he was enjoying himself out there. The important thing is that we won a game that we really wanted to win, which was by no means simple."
When will Di Maria return?
Juventus have confirmed Di Maria's injury will be re-evaulated in 10 days which means the forward is ruled out of the team's next two Serie A games against Sampdoria and Roma.
The earliest Di Maria could return is against Spezia on August 31.
Di Maria's fitness will be of concern to Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni as the 34-year-old remains a key player for the Albiceleste and is an experienced member of the squad. The forward has battled niggling leg muscle problems throughout his career.
Scaloni is due to name his squad for the tournament in early October. Argentina are one of the early favourites to win the World Cup after lifting the Copa America in 2021.
