Massimiliano Allegri handed talented midfielder Enzo Barrenechea his Juventus debut in last night’s Champions League loss to Paris Saint-Germain.
The Bianconeri were left with little to play for in Turin last night, having already confirmed their elimination from the Champions League, and a second half goal from Nuno Mendes made things a lost cause for Allegri and his squad. Therefore, the Juventus coach used his substitutions to give a number of emerging youngsters some first team minutes, including Barrenechea.
Barrenechea started his career with Newell’s Old Boys and made the jump to Europe in August 2019, joining Swiss outfit FC Sion in a deal worth around €3.1m. After six months in Switzerland, where he made seven appearances for the club’s Under-21 squad, the Argentinian midfielder headed to Turin, signing for Juventus in a deal worth around €4.87m.
Barrenechea was part of the Juventus Under-19 squad for the first 18 months of his time with the Old Lady, joining the Under-23 Next Gen in July of last year. He has made 27 appearances for this side, scoring three goals and impressing as a defensive midfielder.
The 21-year-old was first called up by Allegri for the disastrous 1-0 loss to Monza in September, but remained on the bench. Against PSG he was given his first team debut, appearing for a handful of minutes in the closing stages of the match.
players at his age are gaining minutes on load playing full 90mins