Why Juventus Will Expect Ángel Di María To Be More Than Just A Mentor

It has been a busy few days at Juventus, with news of high profile arrivals and departures breaking at a relentless speed. While the future of Matthijs de Ligt remains uncertain, Paul Pogba has returned to Turin after his Manchester United contract expired.

The France star will be joined in Turin by another player who used to call Old Trafford home too, as late last week saw Juve confirm that they had completed the signing of Ángel Di María

Out of contract after his time with Paris Saint-Germain had ended and joining the Bianconeri on a one-year deal, the 34-year-old will be hoping he can help catapult them back into contention.

While his age definitely perpetuates the popular narrative that Serie A clubs routinely sign older players, there is a feeling around the club that this particular acquisition is somewhat different.

This is no longer a Juve squad packed with veteran players, with Gigi Buffon moving on last summer and – as discussed in this previous column – Giorgio Chiellini ending his time with the Old Lady this year.

Now 35 years old, Leonardo Bonucci has become club captain, but the only other players over 30 are full-backs Juan Cuadrado (34), Alex Sandro (31) and Danilo (30), plus goalkeepers Wojciech Szczesny and Carlo Pinsoglio (both 32).

Furthermore, Di María will now be expected to slot into an attack led by Dusan Vlahovic (22) and Federico Chiesa (24), a duo who have made a combined 14 appearances in the Champions League between them.

In contrast, the Argentina winger has played in UEFA’sEFA
elite competition on no fewer than 99 occasions, weighing in with an impressive 22 goals and 35 assists. Di María was part of the Real Madrid side who lifted the trophy in 2014, and the PSG team who lost the 2020 Final to Bayern Munich.

Winning La Liga once and Ligue 1 five times, there is little doubt that Di María brings a wealth of experience and know-how, while he has also made a tangible contribution to each of those victories.

It is that knowledge and quality that Juventus now hope he can share with his new team-mates, something that the man himself expressed during his inaugural press conference at the Allianz Stadium.

“I am delighted to have quality young players like Vlahovic and Chiesa in the team,” Di María told reporters. “It’s important to have a winning mentality and that is an ingredient I bring to the squad. One of the reasons Juventus wanted me was because they know I always give my all.”

Yet while his role as a mentor for those emerging talents – including Di María’s former PSG team-mate Moise Kean – will be important, so too will his impact on the field, where Coach Max Allegri will expect him to thrive.

​​”I chose Juve because this is the most important club in Italy,” Di María continued. “There are all the credentials here to win, and I want to add my contribution. I know there’s a strong team here and I want to be part of it – if the club came looking for me, then they must believe I can do exactly that.”

That is undoubtedly true, and Allegri will hope he can succeed where – for different reasons – Federico Bernardeschi, Dejan Kulusevski and Paulo Dybala all failed to bring balance to Juve’s front three.

A technically sound left-footed player who thrives on the right, he certainly has all the tools to do just that and arrives in Turin after an incredible last 12 months.

It started when he scored the only goal as Argentina won the Copa America last summer, continued as he netted five goals and added seven assists to help PSG to another league title, before Di María struck again to help his national team to victory over Italy in the 2022 Finalissima.

With that kind of form, it is clear that Juventus will expect Ángel Di María to improve their team today while helping improve their youngsters for the future.