'Makes the team tick' - USMNT star Weston McKennie hailed for 'never backing down' as Massimiliano Allegri highlights importance of Juventus midfield during difficult 2023-24 campaign

Having lost out on European football last season for the first time since 2011-12 due to their breach of UEFA's Financial Fairplay rules, Juventus took on the current season head-on as they tried to battle for their first league title since 2020. Despite having come short, Juve are currently third in the league and Allegri has praised the Old Lady's midfielders, who 'pushed the limits'.

Talking to the media, Allegri said [via @juvefcdotcom on X]: “Our midfield is what makes the team tick, our midfielders have had a good season, we played with McKennie, [Manuel] Locatelli, [Adrien] Rabiot and [Fabio] Miretti until January 28th. They never backed down and we worked on our limits.”

Juventus will likely finish the season only behind champions Inter Milan and AC Milan and will qualify for the Champions League next season for the first time since 2021, given that there is no late collapse for the Bianconeri. Allegri's future at the helm of the club is uncertain and the end of the season will dictate whether he will remain as the head coach past this season's end.

The Old Lady will now take on Salernitana on Sunday, May 12 as they look to further cement their third-place finish this season.