Juventus star Weston McKennie has handed the United States Men's National Team a massive injury scare ahead of next month's CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers following his injury in Tuesday night's UEFA Champions League draw with Villarreal. The 23-year-old midfielder was forced off in the 81st minute after a rough tackle by Pervis Estupinan left him with an injured ankle.
The former Schalke player put in another impressive shift in the midfield for Juventus who were out to secure a favorable result in their Round of 16 first leg encounter. It took only 32 seconds for the USMNT star and his teammates to be put in a celebratory mood as new boy Dusan Vlahovic wil break the deadlock with a venomous strike in his Champions League debut. However, the europhria was short-lived with the host equalising through Dani Parejo in the 66th minute.
Juve then had their night turning from satisfactory to worse after being forced to replace Weston McKennie with Dennis Zakaria in the 81st minute. The former dragged himself off the pitch before needing the help of his side's medical staff to make it to the dugout after his ankle was caught in a challenge by Estupinan. Although the severity of the injury is currently unknown, it is reported that the player might have picked up a high ankle sprain, adding to the Bianconeri's injury woes.
Weston McKennie came off w/ an ankle injury suffered during this rough challenge from Pervis Estupinan.
— Ives Galarcep (@SoccerByIves) February 22, 2022
Would expect him to miss a few matches during Juve's busy upcoming schedule. Here's hoping he can recover in time for the big March #USMNT qualifiers, which are a month away. pic.twitter.com/IKXdRmRWqi
McKennie' availabilty for upcoming match-ups with Empoli, Fiorentina, Spezia and Sampdoria are now in doubt. His potential absence could also mean that he will not be available for selection in the USMNT's crucial World Cup qualifying games against Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica. All the three games are scheduled for the ending of March. At the moment, the Stars and Stripes sit behind leaders Canada with 21 points - four points adrift the haul of the Canucks.
