Amidst the ravaging injury crisis, five Juventus youngsters have earned their maiden call-ups as Thiago Motta decided to add them to the matchday squad that made the trip to Lecce.

The Italian Brazilian manager has been deprived of the services of nine first-team players. The list includes Dusan Vlahovic, Weston McKennie, Douglas Luiz, Nico Gonzalez and Vasilije Adzic, while Nicolo Savona was the latest to forfeit after suffering a slight muscle knock in the Champions League fixture at Villa Park.

Moreover, the Bianconeri have been without Arkadiusz Milik since the start of the season. The Pole is expected to return to training in the middle of the month. On the other hand, Juan Cabal and Gleison Bremer could be out for the remainder of the season with ACL injuries.

Therefore, Motta had to resort to the club’s youth squads to plug the gaps, calling up players from Juventus Next Gen as well as the club’s Primavera side.

18-year-old Filippo Pagnucco is one of the five youngsters to earn their first senior call-ups. The left-back is the captain of Juventus U20. Moreover, 17-year-old Alfonso Montero is also on the list. The Uruguayan teenager is the son of legendary Bianconeri defender Paolo Montero who has been recently relieved from his duties by the Next Gen squad.

Christos Papadopoulos and Augusto Owusu join the midfield ranks. The duo have been making waves with the Next Gen side this season. Finally, teenage striker Diego Pugno has been called up to add some depth to a depleted attacking department. He has scored six goals in the Primavera league.

So here is the full Juventus matchday squad as published by the club’s official website.

1 Perin

4 Gatti

5 Locatelli

6 Danilo

7 Conceicao

8 Koopmeiners

10 Yildiz

15 Kalulu

19 Thuram

21 Fagioli

22 Weah

23 Pinsoglio

27 Cambiaso

29 Di Gregorio

40 Rouhi

42 Montero

43 Owusu

44 Pugno

45 Papadopoulos

46 Pagnucco

51 Mbangula