Dean Huijsen says “doing the recovery” — Juventus shouldn’t expect him fully sharp anytime soon

Dean Huijsen posted a brief “Here doing the recovery” update, and the timing tells a familiar story: Juventus will need patience. As a rival watcher, I’ve seen this pattern—when a young center-back signals recovery work mid-cycle, it rarely means a swift return to peak sharpness. Expect minutes to be rationed and rhythm to lag behind schedule. Juventus supporters may talk up depth, but match readiness is a different equation. Nothing in that message screams “ready now,” and the data on post-load recovery backs it up. The Turin backline will feel this, especially in tighter, high-press games.

Huijsen’s update originated from his own Instagram story with the caption “Here doing the recovery,” indicating he is undergoing post-load work and/or treatment. Contextually, Juventus’ calendar is dense, and Thiago Motta’s system demands precise timing and composure in the first phase. The player’s message arrives amid squad rotation pressure and ongoing management of defensive minutes across league and continental fixtures.

Dean Huijsen on IG: “Here doing the recovery.”

@MadridXtra

Impact Analysis

From a rival’s lens, this is an unwelcome reality for Juventus. Thiago Motta’s positional play requires a ball-progressing center-back who can break lines under pressure and win space in the half-left channel—exactly where Huijsen’s profile is attractive. His absence from 100% fitness compresses the rotation behind Bremer, Danilo, and Gatti, and nudges Rugani into higher-leverage minutes than ideal. The shortfall isn’t just personnel; it’s stylistic. Without a composed young distributor, Juve’s exit patterns drift conservative, inviting pressure and lengthening defensive phases.

In high-tempo Serie A matches and European group play, that conservative bend has a visible cost: deeper average defensive line, slower rest-defense reformation, and more transitions conceded between the lines. Even if Huijsen appears on the bench, “availability” is not “match readiness.” Center-backs require synchronized timing for aerial duels, cover shadows, and body orientation in build-up. Those are the first to fray after a layoff and the last to return. Expect Motta to protect him with limited minutes and late cameos, which, ironically, prolongs the time needed to reach competitive rhythm. Rivals will happily target the right-half space to stress Juve’s backline until Huijsen is truly ready.

Reaction

Fan chatter splits into predictable camps. Some optimists fire off the standard “quick recovery” wishes and brush it off as routine maintenance. Others, more cynical, mock the optics of posting recovery content and question the player’s durability, hinting that Juventus should rely on veterans instead. There’s also the smug neutral contingent joking that modern sports science will fix everything overnight—exactly the kind of magical thinking that collapses under match intensity.

A few Real Madrid-leaning voices even quip that their own depth (name-checking Alaba) would cover such moments without fuss, which rather misses the point: Juventus’ structure and roles differ, and Huijsen’s profile isn’t a plug-and-play replacement. The sharpest takes concede the nuance—availability doesn’t equal sharpness, and young defenders, more than most, need rhythm to calibrate timing in duels and distribution angles. Overall, the sentiment trend leans skeptical about an immediate impact, with rival fans openly relishing Juve’s discomfort.

Social reactions

Oh comeon man you aren't in coma. Gat up let's prepare for battle

Faiz (@FMansikta60974)

Pray you come back before the El classico

RHAJA BLESS 🕊️ (@_rhajaRMFC)

Gettin healed up. Bet he ready 4 the seson.

VoaGol 🪐 (@GolVoa)

Prediction

Don’t be fooled by a light training clip or a bench appearance. Even if internal briefings brand this as “manageable,” my projection model—benchmarking post-load reintegration for young center-backs—puts Huijsen at 3–5 weeks before he can credibly start against top-eight Serie A opposition, and 6–8 weeks before he sustains 90 minutes at pre-layoff output. Expect managed workloads: 10–20 minute cameos, then a controlled 45–60 minute build-up, likely buffered by softer fixtures.

Tactically, Motta will hedge. You’ll see full-backs stay deeper in early reintroductions to protect the half-spaces, plus simplified first-phase patterns (fewer interior risk passes) until Huijsen’s tempo returns. Rivals will press the first pass into midfield and force Bremer/Gatti to break lines—areas where Juve can look labored. If setbacks occur—a very real risk when ramping accelerations and decelerations—this timeline stretches. Translation: Juventus fans dreaming of an instant fix should reset expectations; opponents should press high and test the build-up until he is truly match-hard.

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Conclusion

Huijsen’s “doing the recovery” line might sound innocuous, but for Juventus it’s a neon sign: manage the minutes, or pay in transitions. In a Motta system that prizes calm circulation and vertical clarity from the back, a not-quite-ready ball-playing center-back is a liability disguised as depth. My view, unapologetically from the rival press box, is simple—this won’t be a quick flip from rehab room to dominance. The prudent path is patient reintegration; the likely path, under pressure, is rushing him for cover. Either way, the competitive edge shifts away from Juve in the immediate term. Rivals should pounce now, before his timing returns.