Juventus have released an official statement, confirming that Pierre Kalulu has indeed suffered a thigh injury on Wednesday night.
The Milan loanee has been playing non-stop alongside Federico Gatti in previous months amidst the lack of alternatives. Gleison Bremer is out with an ACL injury while Danilo was omitted from the squad ahead of his recent departure. The Bianconeri have recently signed Renato Veiga on loan from Chelsea, but he wasn’t eligible to play in the Champions League group stage.
Therefore, Kalulu once again took the field when the Bianconeri hosted Benfica on the final matchday of the UCL group stage, but this time, his outing only lasted for 15 minutes.
The Frenchman slipped while attempting a clearance, and his leg extended awkwardly. The defender wasn’t able to continue, thus forcing Thiago Motta to introduce Manuel Locatelli. The makeshift backline hardly lasted a minute before conceding the opener, as the team went on to suffer a 0-2 defeat at the hands of Benfica.
On Monday morning, Kalulu reported to the J|Medical Centre to undergo all necessary tests and determine the extent of his injury, while Motta and his technical staff collectively held their breath.
In the end, the tests detected a low-grade lesion in the right thigh, so he’ll be out for at least 10 days.
“Pierre Kalulu, who left the pitch in the first half of the Champions League fixture against Benfica, underwent medical examinations this morning – Thursday, 30 January – at J|Medical, which revealed a low-grade lesion to the semimembranosus muscle tendon in his right thigh,” reads the note published on the club’s official website.
“In about 10 days’ time, new tests will be carried out to determine the player’s recovery time.”
Hence, it remains to be seen if the next tests will greenlight the player’s return or indicate the need for additional time on the sidelines.
