Juventus are considering Joao Cancelo’s return from Manchester City and the Portuguese could play in four different positions under Thiago Motta at the Allianz Stadium.
Cancelo is not part of Pep Guardiola’s plans at Manchester City, so he’s been reportedly offered to Juventus and Inter. According to Corriere dello Sport, Bianconeri director Cristiano Giuntoli is in talks with the defender’s agent, Jorge Mendes.
The Rome-based paper highlights three positions that the Portugal international can cover in Turin, but there is also a fourth option for Motta if Cancelo returns to the Allianz Stadium this summer.
The first two options are the most obvious. Cancelo can play as a right-back, his natural role, or on the opposite flank, switching position with Andrea Cambiaso, who sees the Portuguese star as his role model.
Cancelo could even play in a more advanced position as a right winger or as one of the three central midfielders.
As an inverted full-back, Cancelo tends to move into central areas of the pitch so he’s already quite confident when it comes to playing in the middle of the park.
It is no secret that new Juventus boss Motta loves versatile players who can be deployed in different positions.
In one of his final interviews at Bologna last season, the former midfielder said: “I think that if one player covers just one role, he must be top-class. If not, he has to be smart enough on footballing terms to play in different positions.”