[ad_1]
New Liverpool signing Federico Chiesa will be looking to get up to speed following his £12.5 million move from Juventus, and has been given an early advantage.
Chiesa joins the Reds having played no football since the Euros with Italy, when he featured in all four games as they exited at the round of 16.
Frozen out at Juventus – which led to his bargain switch to Anfield – the 26-year-old has arrived on Merseyside lacking match sharpness.
That has already made him doubtful for the trip to Man United on Sunday, with Arne Slot telling reporters: “There is a bigger chance that he is not in the squad than he is.”
He will need time to train before he is integrated into Liverpool’s matchday fold, and that should be boosted by the news that he is not in the Italy squad for the September international break.
Manager Luciano Spalletti named his 23-man squad on Friday, with Chiesa one notable absentee perhaps largely due to his lack of game time.
Italy play France and Israel in the UEFA Nations League but the versatile forward could now stay in Liverpool in order to focus on training.
If so, that should help fast-track his progress when it comes to debuting for Slot’s side, with the visit of Nottingham Forest on September 14 a realistic target.
The majority of Slot’s senior squad has been called up for international duty otherwise, with Joe Gomez, Curtis Jones and Vitezslav Jaros among the few overlooked.
Darwin Nunez will not be in action as he observes the start of a five-game ban for Uruguay following his involvement in ugly scenes after their Copa America semi-final against Colombia.
Slot will almost certainly grant his non-internationals a customary break during the international fixtures, though each player will continue to follow a training programme.
• READ: 25-man Liverpool squad trains for Man United trip – with no new injuries
Chiesa’s situation is similar to that of Ryan Gravenberch last year, with the Dutchman moving to Liverpool on deadline day before opting out of duty with the Netherlands U21s in order to properly settle in his new surroundings.
Unlike Gravenberch, though, the Italian was simply left out of the Italy squad, with the likelihood being that he is reconsidered when back up to speed.
[ad_2]
