Why Vlahovic didn’t join Juventus squad despite being fully fit | OneFootball

While the Juventus fans expected to see Dusan Vlahovic in the matchday squad that travelled to Udine, the Serbian was left behind in Turin.

Interestingly, Luciano Spalletti’s squad included three strikers, but none of them was in the starting lineup. Arkadiusz Milik hasn’t played a competitive fixture in almost two years, Jonathan David has been dropped following a barren run, while Lois Openda is already an afterthought at the club.

Therefore, the manager started with Kenan Yildiz as a false 9, before switching Jeremie Boga to the role, in a move that immediately paid dividends, with the Turkish star creating the winner for the Ivorian.

Dusan Vlahovic didn’t feel mentally ready to return

While Spalletti could be tempted to entrust Boga with the striker’s role once more, one might imagine that Vlahovic’s imminent return should shake up the manager’s plans.

The 26-year-old was expected to make the trip to Friuli this weekend, but ended up staying at Continassa.

According to Tuttosport, the former Fiorentina star has physically recovered from the high-grade lesion that has kept him on the sidelines since late November.

However, the striker felt he wasn’t mentally ready to make his long-awaited return to the pitch, as he’s still worried about suffering a relapse, which is a common case among sportsmen who endure lengthy rehabilitation periods.

Vlahovic eyeing a return against Sassuolo

The Turin-based newspaper adds that Vlahovic had also heeded Spalletti’s piece of advice, as the manager had told him he must only return to the field when he feels physically and psychologically up to the task.

Moreover, the 67-year-old wasn’t too keen on adding the Serbian to the squad only to field him in the final minutes of the game.

Instead, Vlahovic made far better use of his time by staying at Continassa and continuing to work on regaining his best physical condition.

The centre-forward will likely start on the bench when Juventus host Sassuolo at the Allianz Stadium next Saturday.