During his press conference on the eve of a Coppa Italia clash against Sassuolo, Massimiliano Allegri explained how he could replace Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur.
The Uruguay and Sweden internationals joined Antonio Conte’s Tottenham in the January transfer window.
Bentancur has signed with the Premier League side on a €19m deal with €6m add-ons, while Kulusevski has moved to North London on a paid 18-month loan move with an option to buy for €35m.
Allegri discussed some potential tactical changes for tomorrow’s Coppa Italia clash against Sassuolo, explaining how he’ll cope without the two new Tottenham signings.
“Bentancur left, but we signed [Denis] Zakaria, who is a very good footballer,” he said.
“Arthur is also improving, he played very well on Sunday, he’s like a child, always running behind the ball.
“Sometimes he has to handle himself a little bit more, but he put in a great performance against Hellas Verona. He has extraordinary technical abilities. I can pick Arthur, [Manuel] Locatelli and Denis Zakaria, it’s not easy to choose and I like it.
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“Rabiot can provide quality and quantity. He was raised as a No.10 and I thought he could score ten goals per season. I’ve understood that he is a different footballer, with different responsibilities and we have to assess players focusing on what they are able to do.”
Juventus lost Federico Chiesa for the rest of the season due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury but still decided to let Kulusevsi move to North London in January.
“Juan Cuadrado can play in different positions,” said Allegri.
“Now that Kulisevski is gone and with all the full-backs available, he can help us in the build up play. He is a crucial player for us and he could play tomorrow.”