Weston McKennie wants to prove he’s worthy to Juventus and its fans.
He joined the 36-time Italian champion for the 2020-21 season, had his following season cut short by a broken foot, then was loaned to Leeds United last January and couldn’t help the English club avoid relegation.
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McKennie returned to Juventus this summer as a teammate of fellow American Timothy Weah, entered the first two matches as a substitute and made his first start last weekend in a 2-0 win at Empoli.
“Coming back to Juventus wasn’t easy,” the 25-year-old midfielder said Thursday during a news conference at U.S. national team camp in St. Louis. “I left the club at a time of crisis, I guess you could say.
“And so coming back I felt like I started back at square zero, but that is a challenge I’m always up for, a challenge that I think I needed at this time in my career to kind of prove to people that I still have it.”
Juventus was penalized 10 points in the standings last season for financial violations, causing it to miss out on this season’s Champions League, then was banned from all UEFA competitions because of the improprieties. A team that won its ninth straight title in 2019-20 hasn’t won another since.
