Khephren Thuram to miss Juventus matches until January after knee surgery

Khephren Thuram will be unavailable to Juventus until January 2027 after undergoing surgery on a knee problem that has affected him since the end of last season.

Juventus confirmed that the France midfielder had an operation to address the issue, with La Gazzetta dello Sport reporting that the procedure was intended to treat cartilage wear behind his kneecap.

Thuram, 25, is expected to be sidelined for up to four months and is likely to return to action for Juventus in January 2027. His absence deprives the Italian club of an important midfield option for the first half of the season.

The midfielder missed every friendly played by Juventus during their pre-season preparations. For much of the summer, he trained separately from the rest of the squad as he continued to manage the knee problem.

He was named among the substitutes for Juventus’ opening Serie A fixture against Frosinone, which they won 1-0, but did not feature. Thuram was then left out of the squad entirely for the second-round meeting with Parma, a match Juventus won 2-0.

His operation has now confirmed that he will not be available to the club again until at least the winter period. Juventus had already taken steps to strengthen their midfield before the diagnosis was announced.

On the final day of the summer transfer window, the club completed the signing of Pape Matar Sarr from Tottenham Hotspur on loan, with an option to make the move permanent. The deal was intended to provide additional depth in midfield and help cover for Thuram’s absence during the first half of the campaign.

Thuram joined Juventus as part of the club’s plans for the midfield and had been working away from his team-mates for much of the pre-season because of the persistent problem. His lack of involvement in the opening two league matches had already raised doubts over when he would be able to return to full fitness.

The surgery means Juventus must now plan without him for a significant part of the season. His projected return in January 2027 will depend on his recovery from the operation and rehabilitation, but the club’s current expectation is that he could resume playing then.

For now, Sarr’s arrival gives Juventus another option in the centre of the pitch as they begin the campaign without Thuram. The Senegal international’s loan move, which includes an option to buy, was completed before the summer transfer window closed and was specifically aimed at reinforcing the position affected by the Frenchman’s injury.