SHARE

Last January, Leeds United opened the door for Weston McKennie after he was no longer wanted at Juventus. The Serie A side hoped his loan stay at Elland Road would be made permanent but that didn’t happen after the Whites were relegated to the Championship.

The midfielder returned to the Turin club and has managed to redeem himself after a difficult spell at Leeds. Last week, his father took to X to respond to suggestions that the 25-year-old is overweight and he also mentioned the drama he’d been through whilst at Leeds United.

“Even on Wes’ worst day he is in better physical shape than those who call him overweight! You only wish you had his physicality. It’s time to let go of the Leeds drama and move on! I am proud of him not paying any attention to the negative comments out here,” John said.

The USA international was a guest on 19F. Podcast, where he lectured the Italians on food, and his comments are relayed by La Repubblica. The Texas-born midfielder has urged the Italians to be more “open minded” when it comes to their cuisine.

“Have I suffered culture shock? Yes, I like it here. But in Italy the mentality is closed, it’s tradition. That’s fine, but you have to be more open-minded with others,” he said.

“An example? I eat pasta with tomato, pesto, chicken and everyone here in Italy: how disgusting! But they’ve never tried it.”

It’s not the first time the former Leeds man has talked about food. Back in 2021, in an Amazon Prime documentary, he explained how Italian dishes, starting with pasta, could be improved.

“If you add a biscuit, a brownie or a hamburger then I really like it! Pasta and vegetables are not for me, if a little sauce were added to them…

“Have you ever tried ranch sauce? It’s a sauce we use to dress salad, but if you put it on pizza it’s the best.” 

McKennie has managed two assists from 17 games this season, which has been a nice surprise for Juventus after his spell with Leeds United.