Why Stefano Sturaro Will Be the Juventus Player to Benefit from Khedira Injury

With the start of the 2015/16 campaign fast approaching, Juventus have been hit with a raft of injuries that have threatened to hamper their preparations. While the reigning champions have the depth in defence and attack to cope with the absence of both Alvaro Morata and Giorgio Chiellini, there are fewer options available in midfield.

That area of the side was already somewhat weakened by the summer exits of Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal, but the Bianconeri hoped Sami Khedira would help fill the void their departures created.

Yet during his debut in a pre-season friendly against Olympique Marseille at the Stade Velodrome, the German international suffered a torn thigh muscle that will see him miss the start of the season.

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The club subsequently issued a statement on their official website, ruling out the 28-year-old for “approximately two months.” With Kwadwo Asamoah still to recover from a knock of his own, the stage is perhaps set perfectly for Stefano Sturaro to cement a place in the side and continue his impressive start to life in Turin.

Born in Sanremo and entering the Genoa youth system back in 2008, the Italian under-21 international was signed by the Bianconeri last summer for €5.5 million. As part of the agreement, however, he was loaned back to the Rossoblu before being recalled by Juventus at the end of the January transfer window.

Few knew what to expect from a young player with just 31 first-team appearances under his belt but, by the time 2014/15 drew to a close, the 22-year-old had shown that he could thrive on the big stage when given the opportunity.

He displayed impressive defensive diligence, with statistics from WhoScored.com showing he averaged 2.3 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game last term. That ensured comparisons to Gennaro Gattuso continued, something Sturaro takes huge pride in but is also keen to show he is much more than simply a disruptive force.

“I hear that from many people and it pleases me, because he was a truly great player for Milan and for Italy, it would be wonderful to do even half of what he did.” the midfielder told Sky Sports (per the TuttoJuve website, h/t Football Italia).

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“But he's not my only point of reference,” Sturaro continued. “I'm a guy who looks at every player and tries to learn from everyone, so I adapt to different situations.” Indeed, his coach is fully aware of the versatility offered by his young charge, as he expressed at a press conference back in March when Juventus suffered a similar spate of injuries.

“Sturaro can fill Marchisio’s role in front of the defence, or can play where Pogba does,” Massimiliano Allegri told reporters (h/t Football Italia). “He definitely has different characteristics, but he’s a lad who has integrated well.”

As the campaign progressed, Sturaro was given more and more opportunities, culminating in a surprise starting berth against Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final. He would capture attention across the continent with a mature display, making a vital intervention to deflect a point-blank header from James Rodriguez away from goal.

That essentially preserved the Old Lady’s lead and helped them secure their place in the final. He would go on to score his first goal for Juventus in a home win over Napoli, the match which saw the Bianconeri celebrate their fourth consecutive Serie A title.

Named to the starting XI once again on Saturday as Allegri’s side lifted the Italian Super Cup—a match reviewed in detail here—Stefano Sturaro is almost certainly the player poised to take advantage of Khedira’s prolonged absence.