Juventus extend forward Mandzukic s contract till June 2020

Turin May 25 (IANS) Italian football heavyweights Juventus on Thursday announced the one-year contract extension of forward Mario Mandzukic keeping the veteran Croatian till June 30 2020.

Juventus Football Club is delighted to announce that Mario Mandzukic has renewed his contract extending a journey that began in July 2015 the record Serie A champions said in a statement.

Power perseverance and a penchant for decisive goals in the big moments have seen the imposing Croatian become an indispensable member of a Juventus side that has lifted consecutive domestic doubles and an Italian Super Cup since he arrived in Turin according to Juventus website.

At the start of this season it seemed that Mandzukic who has played as a centre-forward most of his career will be benched since the big-money capture of Gonzalo Higuain. But since head coach Massimilano Allegri switched to the 4-2-3-1 formation the 31-year-old has become an invaluable player at the left wing.

He has earning plaudits for his sacrifice and dedication to off-the-ball workrate that has helped the Turin giants reach the Champions League final to be played against Real Madrid on June 3.

According to official records Mandzukic s work has been one of both quality and quantity. Only Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain have found the net more often than Mario (23) since the start of last season while the Croatia international sits in fourth place for chances created (90) and third for shots on target (53).

Particularly since his mid-season rebirth as a wide forward Mandzukic s attacking contributions are not limited to his goal tally; with eight assists to his name this term he is also one of his team s most consistent creative forces.

Perhaps the most revealing feature of the 31-year-old s Juventus experience so far has been his output going in the other direction away from goal.

Remarkably no other Juventus man has won more tackles than Mandzukic in the past two campaigns (74) and it is at this point that you begin to comprehend what he is all about Juventus posted in their website.

--IANS
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