USMNT Star Weston McKennie Told He’d Be ‘Perfect’ in Different Position by Juventus Boss Luciano Spalletti

Weston McKennie has been one of the best midfielders to come from the United States in history. However, Juventus manager Luciano Spalletti believes the USMNT star is perfect for another role.

Spalletti Suggests a New Role for Weston McKennie

McKennie did not get a goal or an assist in the 3-0 win over Napoli last weekend in Serie A after playing the whole game as a right wing-back. The Juventus manager still praised the USMNT star for his excellent performance.

Spalletti has claimed that the midfielder has the skill set needed to flourish as a striker. He said that the former Leeds United loanee is strong in the air and knows when to shoot, making him an ideal striker.

He hinted that the USMNT star should think about changing his position on the pitch and said:

“McKennie is a perfect central striker, one of the strongest as a centre-forward. He fights, he’s strong in the air, and he’s got an impressive leap. He plays to get results because he makes decisions. He would be a perfect striker.”

Despite saying McKennie should play as a center-forward, Spalletti has never used him there. The United States star has played most of his matches this season as a center-midfielder, while also being deployed as an attacking option in a few games. He has also started on both flanks when Spalletti wants to add cover to his defence, as he is also a good passing option.

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The suggestion to use McKennie as a forward would come as a shock to many, including Landon Donovan and Tim Howard, who were discussing on the “Unfiltered Soccer” podcast whether he was the greatest midfielder from the United States. The former LA Galaxy star, Michael Bradley, Tab Ramos, and Claudio Reyna named the former Juventus star as a better player for the national team, but admitted that the Juventus star was more talented.

“The things that Michael Bradley, Tab in a different way, and Claudio in his own way did for the national team and at club level was insane. All of them were insane winners and competitors. Weston is probably second or most talented when it comes to attributes but what those guys did in the national team… maybe he’ll be there in five or seven years but not now.”

Weston McKennie will be one of the key players for the USMNT in the FIFA World Cup this summer, and Mauricio Pochettino is unlikely to listen to Luciano Spalletti and use him anywhere but the midfield.