Federico Chiesa has returned to first-team training with Juventus, nine months after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
The Italy international underwent surgery after injuring his left knee in a Serie A win over Roma in January, causing him to miss the rest of Juventus 2021-22 campaign.
Chiesa, who starred in the Azzurri s Euro 2020 triumph last year, scored four goals and added two assists in all competitions last season before suffering the injury.
A statement on Juventus website revealed the attacker began a partial and gradual return to the group on Monday after coach Massimiliano Allegri recently professed his hope the 24-year-old would return to action before the World Cup.
Juventus host Maccabi Haifa in a huge Champions League group-stage match on Wednesday, having suffered back-to-back defeats against Paris Saint-Germain and Benfica so far in the competition.
The Bianconeri have never previously lost their first three games of a Champions League campaign, and they were eliminated from their group the last time they failed to record a victory in their opening three matches (in 2013-14 – D2 L1).
The team is already back on the pitch to prepare for the next game against Maccabi Haifa! Federico Chiesa is back at training with the team for a partial and gradual return
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen)
