Kenan Yildiz has the unpredictability and "madness of invention" that makes him comparable to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, says Juventus boss Luciano Spalletti.

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.

He also created the most chances (100) and both attempted (220) and completed (105) the most dribbles for the Turin giants, leading Spalletti to compare him to another tricky attacker he has managed.

Spalletti worked with Kvaratskhelia – now a two-time Champions League winner with Paris Saint-Germain – in 2022-23 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 told Tuttosport. "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. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by KENAN YILDIZ (@kenanyildiz)

"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 return to action following the extended international break next Sunday, as they visit a Cagliari side that currently sit one point above them in the table.