Report: Blow for Juventus as Arkadiusz Milik suffers injury setback | OneFootball

Juventus striker Arkadiusz Milik has reportedly suffered a new injury blow which will rule out of action for an additional period of time.

The 30-year-old suffered a knee injury back in June which cost him a place in Poland’s Euro 2024 squad. While he was initially expected to return to the fold early in the season, his return has been postponed several times, and eventually had to go under the knife to undo the damage as the pain persisted.

In recent months, the former Ajax and Napoli striker has been tipped to return in January, with Juventus Football Director Cristiano Giuntoli labelling him as the club’s January signing, suggesting that further additions to the attacking won’t be required if the experienced striker manages to regain his fitness for the second half of the campaign.

However, Milik was nowhere to be seen if Thiago Motta’s band headed to Riyadh for their ill-fated Italian Super Cup participation, which implied that the attacker remains behind in his recovery path.

So according to La Gazzetta dello Sport (via IlBianconero), Milik hurt himself again just when his return to action seemed imminent. As the source explains, the Poland international is now dealing with a calf injury which will keep him on the sidelines for additional time, without revealing an exact timetable.

So if the club’s hierarchy was having any doubts, this blow should confirm the dire need for reinforcement upfront, as it is becoming evident that relying on Milik amidst his seemingly never-ending ordeal is a doomed plan.

Dusan Vlahovic had to work overtime during the first half of the season, and it arguably took its toll on his physical condition and form. And when the Serbian was out with an injury, Motta had to test the likes of Timothy Weah and Weston McKennie as centre-forwards but to no avail.

Hence, signing a new striker in January is an urgent need for Juventus, as is reinforcing the defence.