Where will Weston McKennie fit in, as Juventus change managers again?

Weston McKennie doesn’t always make the best first impression on new managers. At this point, there’s a pattern. When a new manager comes in at Juve, McKennie finds himself on the outside looking in. Speculation starts to swirl that he could be on his way out of the Turin club. Inevitably, a few months later, McKennie is back in the lineup.

Luciano Spalletti might have bucked the trend. Hired as Juve’s new manager to replace Igor Tudor last week, the 66-year-old has started McKennie in each of his first two matches in charge. Against Cremonese and Sporting CP, the American was an important figure as the Old Lady took four points from a possible six.

Nonetheless, the landscape has shifted for McKennie once again. He has played under four different managers in the last two years. That number is six if Gregg Berhalter and Mauricio Pochettino are factored in as managers of the US Men’s National Team. That’s a lot of change for one player.

McKennie’s versatility has served him well over this period. Last season, he played in a number of positions for Juventus – including at left back. Thiago Motta and Tudor could count on the American to fill in where he was needed and it appears Spalletti sees him as just as dependable. 

On paper, McKennie has played in two different positions in his first two matches under Spalletti. Against Cremonese, he was deployed as one of Juve’s two dual number 10s and given something of a free role to get in between the lines and exploit space in front of the opposition defence.

Against Sporting CP in the Champions League, McKennie was positioned as a right wing back. However, this was a role that still allowed him to come inside and get into the same areas he was able to exploit in the Serie A win over Cremonese. There wasn’t much difference between the two briefs.

“McKennie is very good at putting himself about more or less everywhere,” explained Spalletti when asked about the American’s role and how he envisages him fitting into his new-look Juventus side. “He can both defend and attack, allowing Conceicao to open up a bit more. There are many different solutions for him, but he struggles more in the centre of midfield.”

Spalletti’s view might be shared by Pochettino who has recently refrained from using McKennie as part of his central midfield unit, instead deploying him higher up the field. This is where McKennie played in last month’s USMNT friendlies against Ecuador and Australia. Pochettino used him as a number 10.

Pochettino could still use McKennie as a number eight before the 2026 World Cup with the USA facing Paraguay and Uruguay this month, but the 27-year-old isn’t the most natural of rhythm builders in the centre of the pitch. For club and country, his qualities are seen as more useful closer to goal.

Of course, it’s still early days for Spalletti in his new job. The former Italy and Napoli boss is getting to grips with what he has inherited from Tudor and it could be the case that McKennie’s role changes as Juve changes over the next few weeks and months. Spalletti’s team is still very much a work-in-progress.

Juventus could look to strengthen in the January transfer window. The Turin club failed to rebuild as much of its squad in the summer as it would have liked and so there might be funds available for Spalletti to add players for the second half of the season. McKennie could be replaced.

For the time being, though, McKennie is proving why he deserves a place in Spalletti’s vision for Juve’s future. He might not be the right central midfielder for The Old Lady, but he still has plenty to offer, as the American has shown in Spalletti’s first two matches as manager. The more things change for McKennie, the more they stay the same.