Juventus have suffered yet another injury blow after Lilian Thuram’s international comeback for France lasted just 23 minutes.
The stopper, who returned to the set-up after initially retiring following Euro 2004, failed to complete the 3-0 win over the Ivory Coast last night because of a thigh strain.
Thuram is now a major doubt for Juventus’ Italian Super Cup match against Inter on Saturday. "I don’t know if it is serious," stated the former Parma man.
News of Thuram’s problem will not have been welcomed by boss Fabio Capello, who had previously stated his concern regarding the player’s Les Bleus U-turn.
"Capello won’t be happy but then neither am I," stated the 33-year-old. "What can I say? These things happen in football."
The Italian champions have suffered a spate of injuries so far this summer which has hampered their preparation.
Goalkeeper Gigi Buffon has been ruled out for three months as a result of a dislocated shoulder.
Alessandro Birindelli has been sidelined until Christmas with knee ligament damage, while Giorgio Chiellini has broken his nose.
Mauro Camoranesi, Pavel Nedved and Zlatan Ibrahimovic also picked up knocks during friendlies last week.
There are also concerns about Patrick Vieira who didn’t play for France last night because of a thigh problem.