Juventus have confirmed Matthjs De Ligt has undergone surgery on his shoulder and is expected to be out of action for at least three months.

The Dutch defender has had ongoing shoulder issues since the start of the season, suffering from a dislocation at one point, but playing on through the pain during some games, an example being the recent match against Sassuolo.

Juventus have now confirmed that the 21-year-old underwent surgery yesterday in Rome, and despite being successful, he’s expected to be out of action until at least November:

Matthijs de Ligt underwent stabilization surgery on his right shoulder this morning at the UPMC Salvator Mundi clinic in Rome. The surgery performed by Dr. Volker Mushal, assisted by doctors Bryson Lesniak and Fabrizio Margheritini, in the presence of Juventus health manager Luca Stefanini, was perfectly successful.

Recovery times are approximately 3 months – Source: Juventus.com

De Ligt had a shaky start to his Bianconeri career but went on to become one of the best young players in the Juve squad, scoring 4 goals in 26 league appearances.

His absence may cause Juve to rethink their transfer strategy, given that Giorgio Chiellini is still not 100%, leaving only Merih Demiral, himself returning from a lengthy lay off, and Daniele Rugani, who put in some poor performances at the end of the current campaign.