Matthijs de Ligt tests positive for COVID-19

And then there were three.

Juventus announced Thursday that yet another player, our big Dutch defender by the name of Matthijs de Ligt, has tested positive for COVID-19. He joins fellow starters Alex Sandro and Juan Cuadrado who have been diagnosed with the disease ever since Juventus’ 2021 schedule began last weekend with a win over Udinese. The 21-year-old defender, who has played virtually every minute since coming back from shoulder surgery in November, is in isolation to observe the mandatory quarantine period before he can attempt to test negative.

The brief statement from the club is as follows:

Juventus Football Club announces that, during the checks provided for by the protocol in force, Matthijs De Ligt has emerged positive with Covid 19. The player has already been placed in solitary confinement.

As you can see, there is no mention as to whether de Ligt is symptomatic or not. The fewer symptoms he has the better, obviously, but even then we know being asymptomatic doesn’t always mean that he can test negative quickly because this virus is so damn fickle.

But considering when de Ligt has tested positive, the time he will spend in quarantine and who’s next on the schedule, this most likely means he will miss Juve’s Derby d’Italia showdown with Inter Milan next weekend. After that, it likely will turn into a race against time for him to test negative in time for the Supercoppa against Napoli three days later on Jan. 20.