Dusan Vlahovic leaves Serbia's draw against Denmark with muscle injury
11/18/2024 07:45 PM
Well this isn't good at all.
In one of the final international fixtures of any Juventus player with their respective national teams, the injury bug looks to have struck again. And it just so happens to involve one of the players in which Thiago Motta has used the most so far this season.
Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic was forced off due to injury in the final minutes of Serbia's scoreless draw with Denmark in the UEFA Nations League on Monday night. It's the kind of injury that suddenly puts his status for Juventus' trip to the San Siro this weekend to face Milan into flux, with Juve's striker situation now a giant question mark considering Vlahovic is the only natural No. 9 to start at the top of Motta's 4-2-3-1 formation so far this season.
It also comes as the second notable injury to happen to a Juventus player during the November international break after fullback Juan Cabal suffered a torn ACL while training with Colombia early last week. Juve confirmed Cabal's injury two days later, with season-ending surgery set to take place over the next few days.
Vlahovic, who was holding his hamstring on the back of his right leg as he walked off the field, was briefly asked about the injury situation after the final whistle, saying: "I felt pain in my thigh, I couldn't finish the match. I'm sorry. I'll see what the situation is after the inspection in Turin."
It's yet another development in what has been quite the interesting international break for the 24-year-old Vlahovic. Following Serbia's 1-1 draw with Switzerland last week, Vlahovic made headlines after some comments hinted that he may not totally be in line with Juventus' new tactical setup under Motta.
"It is a bit easier for me when there is another striker, because Mitrovic holds up the ball and engages in aerial duels, so I can make more of my own characteristics and qualities. The coach also does not require many defensive duties from me, so that makes it easier too. With my physicality, I can't really run that much and am not as fresh in my finishing when I've been working so hard."
(Source: Football Italia)
So now, a couple of days after the above comments, Vlahovic is looking at a potential injury absence with this muscle ailment, and Motta is suddenly down both of his No. 9s on the roster with Arek Milik still not expected back until the new year.
We've seen Motta try out some alternatives with Vlahovic off the field in the second half of games prior to the November break, but none of which have been for an extended period of time. It could be from the opening whistle this weekend against Milan, which is just another hit to a Juve team that didn't exactly have a ton of depth to begin with this season.
