'Definitely a moment': Arne Slot hints that rarely seen Liverpool player could actually feature vs Southampton
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Federico Chiesa’s start to life at Liverpool has been disappointing, with the Italian international making just three appearances in all competitions for the Reds.
Signed for £12m in the summer, Chiesa was excited about joining Liverpool and to start a new chapter in his career after a grueling few years with Juventus that were plagued with injuries and a severe lack of form.
Although the attacker’s injury problems have followed him to Liverpool, supporters and Arne Slot are choosing to be patient with the Italy international, with most football fans aware of how good Chiesa can be when fully fit and firing.
And Slot has now teased that Chiesa could feature for Liverpool this week against Southampton.
Chiesa in line to ‘get minutes’ for Liverpool vs Southampton
Speaking to the press ahead of Wednesday’s League Cup quarter-final, the Dutch manager said that Chiesa will play if the winger suffers no further problems in training today for Liverpool, with the Reds due to travel down to the English south coast to face Southampton.
With Slot also confirming that Diogo Jota has picked up another injury and missed Liverpool training, Chiesa’s inclusion in the matchday squad could be a huge opportunity for the former Juventus star to show his quality against the Premier League cellar dwellers.
And there’s a real chance that the 27-year-old attacker will get some minutes against Southampton, with Chiesa last featuring for Liverpool at the end of September after starting against West Ham in the third-round of the League Cup.
Slot said: “It’s definitely a moment he can get minutes. The amount of minutes is a question mark. We can’t expect him to play 90 minutes at this level with the intensity being so high, because he’s been out for five or six months now. But if he has a good training session he will make minutes.”
Chiesa will be itching to get back onto the pitch with Liverpool this week
Most Liverpool fans knew that Chiesa was going to be a long-term project, yet three appearances after the first five months of the season is still a low figure that few supporters would have predicted back in August.
However, Chiesa’s return to action for Liverpool now looks like it’s only a few days away, with a managerless Southampton the perfect opponent for the Italian international having not played since September.
And if Chiesa can come out of the match unscathed, there’s a chance the winger will be an option for Slot in Sunday’s huge Premier League tie against Tottenham, where a win will be essential for the Reds.
