Samuel Iling-Junior celebrated his first Serie A start in a Juventus shirt with a vital opening goal against Atalanta and a performance that saw the youngster named Player of the Week for Matchday 34 of the 2022/23 campaign.
The 2-0 win over their Champions League qualification rivals at the Gewiss Stadium on Sunday afternoon lifted the Bianconeri into second place, although the game in Bergamo was marred by racially motivated chants aimed at the Old Lady’s other goalscorer, Dusan Vlahovic.
Breakthrough season for England youngster
Making his top-flight debut shortly after his 19th birthday when replacing Filip Kostic against Empoli in October, the Englishman replicated that a few days later versus Benfica in the Champions League, and has gone on to appear 13 more times in all competitions, alongside his Juventus Next Gen commitments.
With the suspension of Juventus’ 15-point deduction for capital gains fraud propelling the club back into Champions League qualification, it was notable that coach Massimiliano Allegri trusted Iling-Junior to start, highlighting his progress. He made his goal himself after dispossessing an Atalanta player, driving forward and eventually firing home a loose ball after a poorly cleared Adrien Rabiot cross.
Chelsea’s loss is Juventus’ gain
London-born youngster had been training with Premier League giants Chelsea from the age of eight and had progressed well through the various age categories until he was offered a scholarship deal in 2020. However, the English club’s tendency to purchase ready-made stars, rather than promote from within convinced Iling-Junior that his immediate future lay away from the English capital.
Amid interest from other European heavyweights such as Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain, the attacking full-back decided that Juventus provided the best environment for career progression and signed a three-year deal with the Turin club, which is proving the right decision and he has already extended his contract until the summer of 2025.
