Two Juventus midfielders surprisingly snubbed by national teams

Originally posted on Juvefc.com | By Michel Sakr | Last updated Nov 7, 2025 5:30 AM ET

Juventus duo Khephren Thuram and Weston McKennie will remain in Turin during the international break after being excluded from the call-ups of their respective national teams.

The Texan has been a mainstay with the USMNT for years, earning 62 caps, and scoring 11 goals in the process.

The versatile star was involved in the two October friendlies against Ecuador and Australia, featuring as a right winger. However, Mauricio Pochettino has decided to drop McKennie from his squad for the two November friendlies against Uruguay and Paraguay.

Weston McKennie doesn’t receive a call-up from the USMNT

Thanks to their status as a co-hosting nation alongside Canada and Mexico, the United States automatically booked their spot in the 2026 World Cup without having to go through qualifiers.

Therefore, Pochettino has been taking the opportunity to test various players, so excluding McKennie from his particular camp doesn’t necessarily entail an intention to drop him from his plans.

After all, the 27-year-old is one of the most experienced USMNT stars among active players and is currently enjoying a resurgence under Luciano Spalletti, who reinstated him in the starting lineup.

Weston McKennie (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Likewise, Thuram was called up by Didier Deschamps for the previous international break. He started alongside Adrien Rabiot in the 3-0 win over Azerbaijan, and was then given a second-half cameo in the 2-2 against Iceland.

Deschamps leaves Khephren Thuram at Juventus

It should be noted that the 24-year-old had been recently struggling with some physical problems that had forced Igor Tudor to drop him from the starting lineup in some of his last matches in charge of Juventus.

Therefore, Deschamps might be doing his former club a favour by allowing Thuram to get some rest and subsequently regain his optimal physical condition.

Regardless of the reasons behind these omissions, Spalletti will certainly be delighted to work with these two midfielders during the international break and avoid additional injury risks.

This article first appeared on Juvefc.com and was syndicated with permission.

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