Juventus boss compares Yildiz to Kvaratskhelia
Luciano Spalletti has compared Juventus youngster Kenan Yildiz to another big-name attacker he coached while at Napoli, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Juventus went into the international break seventh in a congested Serie A table, having beaten Atalanta 2-0 to bounce back from a 3-2 defeat to Sassuolo.
Yildiz has only made one appearance, totalling 69 minutes, across all competitions this season, after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured metatarsal in August.
The Turkiye international, who is unlikely to return until next month, scored 14 goals and supplied 10 assists last season, leading all Bianconeri players in both categories.
Spalletti worked with Kvaratskhelia, who is now a two-time UEFA Champions League winner with Paris Saint-Germain, in 2022-2023 after the Georgian first joined Napoli, and he provided 14 goals and 14 assists that season as the Partenopei won the Scudetto.
"Yildiz makes football shine," Spalletti said. "His every move is ingenious and breaks the system.
"When he starts, even he doesn't necessarily have a plan of what he'll do next. Sometimes, in training, I see the defenders predict his movement, and they still can't stop him.
"He has the madness of invention. For me, he is comparable to Kvaratskhelia.
"He needs to play a bit more, but I see similarities in the unpredictability, the way he stays outside of the rules and timing you expect in football.
"He's a lovely guy, the boy next door type, but also a leader – one that doesn't need to talk much."
Juventus returns to action after the extended international break next Monday (AEDT), when it visits a Cagliari side that currently sits one point above the Bianconeri on the table.
Kenan Yıldız
Juventus FC
