Federico Chiesa has been left out of Italy’s squad for the September international break at the request of his new club, Liverpool, who have a tailored plan for his integration.
Chiesa, who was brought to Merseyside by Liverpool, hasn’t played or trained at the first-team level since the European Championships, having been sidelined at Juventus.
Despite this, Italy manager Luciano Spalletti had included Chiesa in his plans for the upcoming internationals. However, Spalletti has since disclosed that Liverpool vetoed Chiesa’s participation, opting instead for a specialized training program to build up his fitness.
In a statement to reporters, Spalletti explained, “Chiesa and I had a fair discussion. While I wanted to bring him along as an additional player, not necessarily for game participation, he informed me that Liverpool has specific preparation work for him.”
Spalletti pointed out that Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali, who recently returned to action after a 10-month betting ban, was included in the squad because he had maintained regular training.
Chiesa is expected to remain in Liverpool for the next two weeks to focus on regaining his fitness and working closely with the coaching staff under Arne Slot. This decision follows his omission from Liverpool’s squad for their 3-0 victory over Manchester United, despite being registered in time. He was deemed too much of a risk to include and watched from the stands.
Arne Slot, Liverpool’s manager, explained the situation before the match, saying, “We need to be cautious with him initially since he hasn’t trained with Juventus for the past two weeks, though he was training before that. He hasn’t had much game time yet, but we have an excellent performance staff here. We will build him up properly and hope to see his quality soon.”
Liverpool’s next fixture is on September 14, with Nottingham Forest visiting Anfield in the Premier League. If all goes according to plan, Chiesa could make his debut in that match.
COMMENTS