United States coach Gregg Berhalter believes Timothy Weah would ‘make a further leap forward’ at Juventus and gave his thoughts on the idea of seeing Cristian Pulisic join Milan.
The Bianconeri are reportedly in the process of finalising a deal for the 23-year-old American forward, who is expected to switch Lille for Turin in a deal worth around €12m. The player has already agreed personal terms with the club and things are expected to be finalised in the coming days.
Weston McKennie has returned to Juventus after his tough six-month loan spell with Leeds United. He is already expected to leave again this summer, with Galatasaray interested in picking him up.
Speaking on Page 12 of today’s La Gazzetta dello Sport, Berhalter was first asked about Weah’s imminent move to Juventus.
“I don’t know what stage the negotiations with Lille are at, I’m a coach, not a director… But I would certainly see Weah doing well at Juventus.
“And I’m sure that an experience in Italy and at Juventus, who we’ve come to know better and better in recent years thanks to McKennie, would be useful for Timothy.
“He is a growing boy, also thanks to Lille, but I think that facing the winning mentality of Juventus would allow him to make a further leap forward.”
He commented on if Weah could be the long-term heir to Juan Cuadrado.
“They are a bit similar, but not that much. If I have to compare Timothy to a more experienced player, well then, I’d say Finidi. Remember the winger of Van Gaal’s Ajax who won the Champions League in the 1990s?
“Well, Weah is like that: dynamic, fast and with excellent shooting. I see him best out wide on the right, he can play a little further forward or a little further back. But also, as a striker or on the left flank.
“Flexibility is one of his strengths, as is the ease of getting to the cross. Weah is a venomous winger. He is also a nice, serious guy. Like his father George, a real football star, whom I had the pleasure of meeting in person in the past.”
The USMNT coach touched on any advice for McKennie amidst the links to Galatasaray.
“As the national team coach I’m interested in Weston playing and competing, regardless of club and league. For the US national team McKennie is very important, he is a leader, a warrior.”
He was asked if Pulisic would be a good fit for Milan.
“Christian plays for Chelsea. But Italy and Milan are still very attractive destinations, not least because of the possibility of playing in the Champions League.
“But no advice, these are personal choices. The same goes for Balogun, who is already a certainty and not just a striker of the future as I hear people say. We’ll see…”
Finally, Berhalter spoke about Sassuolo’s interest in Valencia midfielder Yunus Musah.
“I follow Serie A and Sassuolo are a club I know well, in recent years they have shown themselves to be very adept at launching talent. Certainly, if many of my boys arrive in Italy, I will often come to your side next season.
“After the triumphs of the past few years and the last Nations League, which I followed as a fan this time, we are now aiming at the Gold Cup and the Coppa America to prepare ourselves in the best possible way for the World Cup that we will host in 2026.”