Juventus forward Kenan Yıldız was not part of the squad that travelled to face Celta Vigo in the Europa League on 16 October, continuing an absence that has now stretched across multiple fixtures for the Bianconeri. The 21-year-old has not featured since the opening weeks of the Serie A season, and the reasons for his continued unavailability have not been confirmed.
The timing is pointed. Juventus needed this win — and got it, coming from behind to beat Celta Vigo 1-2 — and Spalletti's squad is navigating a congested schedule without one of its more technically gifted attackers. The coach had spoken before the match about wanting more edge, more heat from his players, and it was Kerim Alajbegovic and Nick Woltemade who answered that call in attack. Yıldız watched from elsewhere.
His season record reflects the disruption plainly: one Serie A appearance in 2026-27, no goals, no assists, and an average match rating of 7.20 in that single outing — a number that suggests quality when present, but presence has been the problem. An AI overall of 74 out of 100, with a potential of 82, frames what Juventus are missing: a player still ascending, not yet at his ceiling, sidelined at precisely the moment the club is trying to establish itself in sixth place with 11 points from six matches.
Spalletti, for his part, has been candid about the demands he places on his group. Before the Celta Vigo match he addressed the question of playing Alajbegovic and Yıldız together, suggesting that those who second-guess his tactical choices now need to learn to defend them — a remark that tells you something about how Yıldız fits into his thinking when fit. The coach sees a role for him. The challenge is getting him back on the pitch to fill it.
Juventus have managed without him — three wins, two draws, one defeat in the league — but the margin for error in European competition and a tightly packed Serie A table is thin enough that Yıldız's return will matter. When it comes, and on what terms, the data does not yet say.