USMNT midfielder Weston McKennie believes he put in some good performances after returning to the club this summer. The 25-year-old spent half of last season on loan in the Premier League with Leeds United, but returning to Turin this summer, which he likened to ‘starting back at square zero’ when speaking to the press yesterday:
“Things happen so fast, things can change within a day, things can change within a week. For me, my biggest challenge to myself was just to take care of my body and come back to preseason prepared, and not give anyone anything to talk about or try and bring up about me.”
“Coming back [to Juventus] I felt like I started back at square zero. But it was a challenge I think I needed at this time in my career. I still have to prove to people that I’m still the player that I am, the player that they know I can be. So going into preseason in America I just wanted to put on good performances, which I think I did. I think it helped change the minds of some people. So we’ll see where it goes from here.”
McKennie, sitting next to Weah, pointed to his teammate for club and country and said: “You’re looking at starting right wingback and backup right wingback right now,” before touching on the pair’s differing roles for Juventus and the USMNT.
“Here I’m seen as a No. 8 and Timmy is seen as a winger and club team, [Weah is] right wingback and [I’m] right wingback-slash-midfielder.”
“With us being able to play so many different positions and being able to adapt to so many situations and roles, I think it’s a good quality to have. I don’t think that we really stress that much about it. We both love one thing that I know for sure, [that] is to win.”
