Boost for Juventus as a defender returns to group training | OneFootball

Juventus centre-back Lloyd Kelly has trained alongside his teammates at Continassa on Thursday morning.

The Englishman joined the Bianconeri in January on loan from Newcastle with an obligation to buy at the end of the season. This clause has already been triggered, according to several sources, simply by avoiding relegation to Serie B.

Kelly missed the last two crucial contests against Bologna and Lazio due to a muscle injury in the hamstring. Both contests ended in a 1-1 draw.

Kelly pushing for return against Udinese

According to IlBianconero, the 26-year-old is making comprehensive progress on the training ground, and even joined his teammates in group training, albeit partially.

Hence, this could pave the way for a call-up at the weekend. The Bianconeri will play their last home fixture of the campaign on Sunday when they host Udinese, before travelling to Venezia on the final day of the Serie A season.

Igor Tudor’s men must secure victories in their final two contests in order to maintain their fourth place in the Serie A table and consequently book a place in the Champions League, as Lazio, Roma, Milan and Bologna are all breathing down their neck.

Lloyd Kelly set for timely return?

Since his arrival, Kelly’s displays have divided opinions. While some would say he showed encouraging signs, others would point towards his costly mistakes in the defeats to PSV Eindhoven and Parma.

But at this stage of the season, Igor Tudor isn’t exactly spoilt for choice at the back, so having the English defender back at his disposal would be a timely boost.

Juventus will be without Pierre Kalulu who has been slapped with a two-match ban due to his violent conduct against Lazio, while Gleison Bremer remains out of action.

The source also revealed that Federico Gatti, Andrea Cambiaso and Teun Koopmeiners have been training separately, so it remains to be seen if they will recover in time to earn call-ups against Udinese.