Italy's Manuel Locatelli out for a month with knee injury

Manuel Locatelli will be out for nearly a month after injuring his right knee during Juventus' 1-0 home defeat by Inter Milan, the Serie A club said on Monday. In a statement, Juve said that Italy midfielder Locatelli's "recovery time is estimated to be about four weeks" following damage to his medial collateral ligament which forced him off the field in the first half of Sunday's loss in Turin.

Coach Massimiliano Allegri said after the match that Locatelli would be on the sidelines for 20 days. The 24-year-old joined Juve from Sassuolo in the summer after playing a role in Italy's triumph at Euro 2020, and has since scored three times in 29 Serie A appearances.

The loss to Inter, their first league defeat since late November, leaves fourth-placed Juve on the fringes of the Serie A title race. They will be 10 points off the pace with seven games remaining if league leaders AC Milan beat Bologna on Monday.