OFFICIAL: Juventus rule out Rolando Mandragora three to four months after another foot surgery

At the beginning of the summer, there was a notion floating around the Italian press that Juventus manager Max Allegri was going to give young midfielder Rolando Mandragora a legitimate shot in the preseason to show what he could do. That hasn’t materialized for one simple reason.

Mandragora, who Juve bought in January, has been hurt. And it seems as though those injury same problems are going to let up any time soon.

Juventus has announced that the 19-year-old midfielder has been ruled out for the next three to four months after he has undergone foot surgery to repair an injury he suffered late last season. It was believed at the time back in early-May, according to reports, that the first foot surgery would keep him out three months, putting him on track to be ready for the start of the 2016-17 season, but this setback means that Mandragora, an Under-21 international with Italy, will likely be out until December or the new year.

More from Juventus’ official website:

Rolando Mandragora today underwent surgery in order to mend a fracture in the fifth metatarsal bone of his right foot, which had become necessary due to delayed healing.

The 19-year-old midfielder, who joined Juventus in January this year, was operated on successfully in Porto by Professor Van Dijk with Club Doctor Claudio Riga also present.

Mandragora will begin a period of rehabilitation in the coming days, with his return to action forecast for within three to four months.

Mandragora spent the second half of the 2015-16 season on loan at Pescara after Juventus bought him outright from Genoa for €6 million in mid-January. He was being used as both a central midfielder and in the middle of Pescara’s defense at the time of his injury — a sign of his versatility despite still being in his teens.

However, now with his second foot surgery in the span of four months, it will be interesting to see how Juventus handle him once he is healthy. Conveniently, the timetable has him reaching full fitness right around the opening of the January transfer window. With all the midfielders Juventus have, it seems as though a loan move would be in the cards.

We’ll see. But the most important thing right now is that Mandragora, one of Juve’s biggest and brightest prospects, gets 100 percent healthy and back on the field.