Giorgio Chiellini Returns to Juventus Training amid Knee Injury Recovery

Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini returned to training on Tuesday, taking part in his first group session since suffering a major knee injury in August.

The defender shared these photos on Twitter:

The club also featured him as the lead image in their training-session roundup. On Monday, they added him to the UEFA Champions League squad list in place of the injured Merih Demiral.

The 35-year-old has been out since the opening day of the Serie A season. He scored in the win over Parma but also picked up a knee injury:

His absence thrust summer arrival Matthijs de Ligt into the starting XI much sooner than anticipated, and the former Ajax man struggled greatly in his first few months at the club. The 20-year-old has turned things around since, however, and has been one of the team's top performers of late.

Fellow summer arrival Demiral, formerly of Sassuolo, also got his chance and had a superb run of form before succumbing to a knee injury of his own. The 21-year-old's season is likely over.

While the two youngsters have performed admirably, Chiellini's return is undoubtedly a welcome sight. The veteran, who has made 384 appearances for Juve, has long been among the best defenders in Italy, compensating for his diminishing athleticism with excellent vision and positional play.

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He and Leonardo Bonucci have formed a fantastic partnership at the back for both club and country, and while the latter has stepped up big since Chiellini went down, he'll undoubtedly be happy to see his longtime team-mate return.

Given De Ligt's strong play, Juventus will likely be prudent with Chiellini in the coming weeks. The Serie A leaders have crucial matches coming up against second-placed Inter Milan on March 1 and an UEFA Champions League tie with Lyon on February 26 and March 17.

Ideally Chiellini would be able to play in the contest against Inter, but it would make little sense to rush the team captain back after such a lengthy layoff.