Juventus' Chiellini sidelined again with thigh injury

Giorgio Chiellini is injured. Again.

The Juventus defender, whose body is slowly breaking down as his age-30 season continues to drift further into the rear-view mirror, will be out of action until after the upcoming international break in the wake of suffering a thigh injury against Napoli on Saturday, the club confirmed.

The 32-year-old was forced out of the 2-1 win over the Partenopei in the 39th minute, the latest in a growing string of niggling muscle problems that have hampered the hard-tackling veteran over the last year.

“This morning also saw Giorgio Chiellini undergo medical tests which revealed that the defender had sustained a severe knock to the posterior region of his right thigh in an incident which caused him to be withdrawn after 40 minutes of Saturday’s 2-1 success against Napoli,” a statement read.

“Chiellini is expected to return to action after November’s international break.”

That timeline means the Italian international will play no part in Juventus’ upcoming matches against Lyon and Chievo, and will also watch from the sidelines as the Azzurri meet Liechtenstein in World Cup qualifying before closing out the international break with a friendly against Germany.

In his absence, Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri has the option to call upon Medhi Benatia or Daniele Rugani, both of whom can slot in to the gaffer’s preferred three-man backline.

A change in formation to a more traditional four-man defence is also an option for the reigning Serie A champion.