Both Matthijs De Ligt and Arthur are celebrating birthdays today, just two days before Juventus’s final pre-season clash ahead of the new Serie A season.

Neither player enjoyed the best summer, with the Dutchman feeling as if he let his Netherlands side down by getting a red card before his side were eliminated from Euro 2020, while the Brazilian suffered an injury which is now expected to keep him sidelined for a number of months.

What’s done is done however, and both can now look to work on the present and future, and they most certainly deserve to enjoy their big days.

De Ligt will surely be a key player under returning manager Max Allegri, albeit whilst sharing the first-team roles with both Giorgio Chiellini and Leo Bonucci, while Arthur may well have a battle on his hands to break back into the fold on a regular basis after his injury, especially if we do manage to add to our depth in midfield this summer.

Buon compleanno

Patrick