The injury list at Juventus has become the defining story of their early season, threatening to undermine what had been a promising start under Luciano Spalletti. Captain Manuel Locatelli underwent knee surgery after playing through discomfort in the 1-1 draw with Milan, ruling him out for close to five months. That result, secured by a Federico Gatti header in the 92nd minute after Alphadjo Cissé had given Milan the lead, left Juventus on seven points from three games, sitting sixth in Serie A.

The midfield situation is now critical. Thuram was already sidelined before the Milan game, and Jeremie Boga picked up an injury during it. With McKennie and Sarr also unavailable, Spalletti is left with Douglas Luiz and Koopmeiners as his only fit senior central midfielders. The club is exploring free-agent options, with Marcelo Brozovic among the names linked, though squad registration rules mean signing anyone requires more than simply removing Locatelli from the list.

There are brighter signs elsewhere. Douglas Luiz has rediscovered his best form after a difficult debut season and has earned a Brazil call-up. Nick Woltemade, signed in the final days of the transfer window, made an encouraging substitute appearance against Milan and has drawn comparisons to Zlatan Ibrahimovic from Gigi Buffon. Sunday's trip to Sassuolo offers Spalletti the chance to build points before the injury crisis deepens.