Juventus terminate contract of Italian midfielder

Injury problems have blighted him, however, particularly in the aftermath of a ruptured cruciate ligament suffered in April 2016.

Today marks the end of Claudio Marchisio’s Juventus career following the agreed termination of his contract,” read a statement on Juve’s official website, in which the club paid a glowing tribute to their long-serving player.

“With every battle competed, every ripple of the net and every trophy raised, his childhood dreams kept coming true. In truth, we all lived our dreams side by side with Claudio. Watching him grow and become, year after year, a man, husband and father filled all of us Bianconeri with a unique sense of gratification.

“Having had the opportunity to accompany him on this path, to discover a homegrown champion, day by day, was quite simply a privilege and an honour.

“And it will be a pleasure to keep following him, with whichever shirt he will wear in the future. For the black and white stripes, as we know, will always form an indelible part of him and his story.

“Thanks for everything, Claudio! We wish you the very best.”

Friday marks the transfer deadline for Serie A clubs, while Marchisio has also been linked to a potential MLS switch.

Marchisio is known for his versatility and ability to play anywhere in midfield, as seen in various formations and positions he has been played in by his coaches. He has been used out wide in both a three- or four-man midfield, or as a defensive midfielder, but his preferred and most effective position is that of a central midfielder, where he is given the license to freely switch between defensive and attacking positions, instead of being limited to a single role.

 He is sometimes classified as an attacking central midfielder (known as a mezz’ala in Italian football), due to his penchant for scoring goals, rather than as a traditional deep-lying “creative” central midfielder (known as a regista in Italian football) in the mold of Andrea Pirlo.