Yildiz ‘furious at Spalletti? What’s behind the Turkish report | OneFootball

A famous source in the Turkish media reported a spat between Luciano Spalletti and Juventus star Kenan Yildiz. So is there any truth behind this story?

The Bianconeri have been enduring a woeful slump, suffering four defeats and a draw in their latest five appearances across all competitions.

Curiously, this skid coincided with Yildiz’s physical struggles. The 20-year-old was replaced at the interval during the 4-1 win in Parma, and then missed the Coppa Italia defeat to Atalanta.

The youngster returned to the fold afterwards, but he looked far from his best.

Kenan Yildiz wasn’t happy with his exit against Como

On Saturday, Yildiz was in the starting lineup against Como. But aside from a few flashes, he failed to inspire, as the Bianconeri went on to suffer a 0-2 defeat to Cesc Fabregas’ men.

By the 83rd minute, the case appeared to be already lost, so Spalletti opted to replace the Turkiye international with Vasilije Adzic.

Kenan Yildiz and Luciano Spalletti (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

The two men exchanged a few words, as the forward was apparently unhappy with his exit. For his part, the manager downplayed the whole episode while praising the player for his relentless desire to contribute on the pitch, even when he was struggling with a calf issue.

Afterwards, Turkish portal Fanatik reported that Yildiz had an angry outburst, as he was furious with the coach’s decision.

False alarm on Spalletti & Yildiz spat

As Tuttosport explains, the sensationalised version reported in Turkiye falls in the ‘fake news’ category, as the two men never had any spat.

The duo have swiftly built a great rapport, with Spalletti insisting that he cares for Yildiz ‘like a son’.

The Turin-based newspaper describes it as a Turkish attempt to further destabilise Juventus ahead of Wednesday’s decisive second leg against Galatasaray in the Champions League play-off round.

That being said, the Istanbul-based giants already have a massive advantage, having won 5-2 in the first leg, so they only need to avoid a collapse at the Allianz Stadium to book their place in the Round of 16.