Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 10y

Juventus midfielder Andrea Pirlo facing month out with hip injury

Juventus will have to do without midfielder Andrea Pirlo for the first month of the season after tests confirmed he had damaged his hip.

Pirlo, 35, picked up the injury during last Saturday's preseason Trofeo TIM tournament involving Juventus, AC Milan and Sassuolo. As a result of the injury, he will also not be available for consideration when Italy coach Antonio Conte announces his first squad on Saturday.

Earlier on Thursday, Conte had said he was going to talk to Pirlo and try to convince him not to retire from international football.

Instead, Pirlo will watch as Italy face Netherlands in Bari next Thursday and Norway in Oslo the following Tuesday. He is not likely to return until October with a comeback pencilled in for Juve's clash with Roma on Oct. 5.

The former AC Milan midfielder has been told to rest for 30 days, although further tests have been scheduled for a fortnight to see the extent of his recovery.

Juve get the defence of their Serie A title underway on Saturday evening at Chievo.

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