Weston McKennie named ‘best American in Europe’ by Juventus boss Allegri

Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri has declared Weston McKennie the ‘best American player’ currently in Europe. 

The 23-year-old is one of the stars of the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT), picking up 35 caps for his country so far, scoring nine goals and assisting another four.

McKennie first moved to Europe in 2016, joining FC Schalke after spending seven years in the youth system of MLS side FC Dallas, which has also produced players like Chris Richards, Ricardo Pepi and Reggie Cannon.

The midfielder has since gone from strength to strength, earning a loan move to Juventus in 2020 which was made permanent a year later. McKennie has played 75 times for the Old Lady so far, scoring 10 goals and providing three assists.

His work rate, movement and skill on both sides of the ball have made him indispensable in Turin, where he has refined the attacking side of his game to become more of a goal threat.

So impressive has McKennie been that Juve boss Allegri even holds him in higher regard than fellow Americans like Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams and Sergiño Dest.

“McKennie is probably the best American player playing in Europe,” Allegri said of McKennie. “I think it’s very important for him to continue showing the high levels that he has at Juve.”

Allegri’s praise for McKennie comes in the wake of rumoured interest in the midfielder from England, with Tottenham boss Antonio Conte reportedly singling him out as a transfer target this summer.

But Allegri seems desperate to keep hold of McKennie, including him on Juve’s US tour and recently labelling him as ‘very important’ to his team.

Alongside Pulisic, Adams and Dest, the likes of Chris Richards and Brenden Aaronson might well test McKennie’s title as best American in Europe after securing moves to the Premier League this summer, joining Crystal Palace and Leeds United, respectively.