da poker： Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio is on the verge of leaving the club for the MLS, according to Goal.
What’s the lowdown?
da dobrowin： The Italian has not played in Juventus’ last two games and manager Massimiliano Allegri appear to have found a worthy replacement for the 32-year-old in Stefano Sturaro.
Having struggled with injury since a knee problem kept him out of the 2016 Euros, he has played just 10 times in Serie A this season and the time seems ripe for the veteran to follow in the footsteps of other ageing midfielders and move Stateside.
Will Juve miss him?
With Blaise Matuidi out and Gonzalo Higuain and Frederico Bernadeschi hobbling off with injuries during Juve’s derby win over Turin, fans were reminded of the importance of having a squad with strength in depth.
With Marchisio seemingly headed to the exit, and his girlfriend leading the charge with a shade-filled Instagram post citing ‘a lack of respect’ by the club, losing such an experienced and decorated midfielder could be risky for Allegri without sufficient cover.
At just 32 Marchisio still has several more years of football left in him. Gerrard was 35 when he left Liverpool and Pirlo was 36 when he left Juventus.
There’s still a lot of life in the dog left yet, and both player and club would benefit from rebuilding the bridges burned between the two this season.