Pulisic and McKennie: opposite pathways lead USMNT stars to Juventus vs. Milan

Versatility surely is a common trait with his compatriot McKennie, who has also covered a number of different roles during his time at Juventus, including this season.

The ex-Leeds loanee has mostly been deployed as a central midfielder or right midfielder in recent months under Igor Tudor, but contrary to Pulisic, he’s not a regular starter in Turin, and his future at the club seems in doubt.

The 27-year-old’s contract, in fact, expires at the end of the season, but the two parties are nowhere near reaching an agreement, as Football Italia already reported in July.

McKennie has been playing for Juventus since 2020 and appeared to be out of the project multiple times.

The American spent the second part of the 2022-23 season on loan at Leeds United, but then returned to the Allianz Stadium at the end of that season and continued getting regular playing time.

McKennie in and out at Juventus

He was supposed to leave even in the summer of 2024 under Thiago Motta, but he eventually reached an agreement to extend his contract to 2026, and he eventually made 48 appearances across all competitions, scoring five goals and providing four assists.

In the current campaign, he’s made three appearances as a starter and three as a substitute, but has no goal contributions yet.

His compatriot Pulisic surely is more prolific, but McKennie has already scored one goal against Milan, in the 2020-21 season, while the Rossoneri star has yet to score a goal in a competitive match against the Bianconeri.