With the majority of the first team away on international duty, Federico Chiesa joined the under-21s for training, and his professionalism has been praised by coach Barry Lewtas.
The Italian remained on Merseyside instead of reporting for international duty to ensure he is up to speed for Liverpool on their return to action in the coming week.
With Arne Slot and Co. stepping away after the win at Old Trafford, Chiesa joined the U21s for training, and the small glimpses we saw were promising.
First-team individual development coach Aaron Briggs led the session alongside fitness coach Jordan Fairclough, U21s coach Lewtas and academy director Alex Inglethorpe.
And Chiesa’s commitment to getting the most out of the sessions was commended by Lewtas, who noted the 26-year-old’s presence was valuable not only to the winger but the club’s youngsters.
“Obviously you can see from the quality of his career so far, this is why he’s at one of the best clubs in the world,” Lewtas told the club’s website. “His professionalism and his quality was really good.
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 5, 2024
“It obviously just gives our boys a little bit of a chance to play against someone of that quality [and] it’s a really good learning opportunity for them.
“I think any time when we come round to the first-team side, which we do a lot, is always really good.
“It’s a change of scenery but also, more importantly, gets us around first-team players and first-team staff, which is important for the boys.
“Obviously with Federico, we’ve done this a number of times now [where] we’ll bring boys round, and it gives him a chance to build his fitness and get him ready for the season as well.”
Having not played a match since Italy’s Euros campaign concluded on June 29, the September international break came at the right time for Chiesa to play catch up.
While the Reds return against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, you sense the winger is more likely to make his debut against West Ham in the League Cup on September 25.
However, we are yet to see how Slot will manage his side with a game every three days, and Chiesa may yet get his chance before that Anfield clash. Either way, we’re looking forward to his first outing.
