One Liverpool player has been told by the current coach of his national team that he needs to ‘get back into shape’ if he’s to earn an international recall.
The most recent of Federico Chiesa’s 51 caps for Italy came two months before he joined the Reds from Juventus in August 2024, and the forward has struggled for game-time at Anfield under both Arne Slot and Andoni Iraola.
So far this season, the 29-year-old has been given a mere two minutes of matchday action by the Basque, coming on at the end of the defeat to Manchester City after recovering from a back injury in the early weeks of the campaign.
Mancini sends a clear message to Chiesa
There have been reports that Liverpool are increasingly open to selling their number 14 in January if the right deal can be struck, and Azzurri head coach Roberto Mancini has told the player what he must to do in order to get back into his country’s squad.
The former Man City boss said (via Liverpool Echo): “As far as Federico is concerned, I have already spoken with Federico several times, including recently.
“Right now, he isn’t playing and needs to regain his fitness and get back into shape; but he is a 29-year-old player, still in the prime of his physical maturity, so I believe he can return with us very soon.”
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Chiesa unlikely to regain fitness while at Liverpool
Mancini is leaving the door open for a potential Italy recall for Chiesa in the future, but it isn’t helping the forward’s case that he’s hardly getting a look-in at Liverpool.
He’s only been in the matchday squad for four of our 16 matches so far this season and has now been leapfrogged by Lewis Koumas in the pecking order up front, with Iraola demonstrably preferring the Welsh youngster over the 29-year-old.
The Azzurri boss travelled to England a few weeks ago in the hope of seeing long-time injury absentee Giovanni Leoni in action, which suggests that he has the Reds defender firmly in mind for the national team when the teenager is back playing again.
Mancini hasn’t forgotten about Chiesa either, but the message from the tactician is clear – our number 14 needs to regain match sharpness, and right now his chances of doing that at Liverpool seem nonexistent.
With that in mind, it wouldn’t surprise us if the popular Italian forward were to depart in January, but not before winning the affection of Kopites and playing his part in our Premier League triumph under Slot two seasons ago.