Arne Slot said Federico Chiesa is still not fit to start for Liverpool, despite naming the Italy forward in his squad for Tuesday’s Champions League clash against AC Milan in the San Siro.
Chiesa, 26, sealed a £10 million transfer from Juventus to Liverpool during the final week of the summer window last month — a deal which saw him become the only addition to Slot’s squad following the departure of former manager Jurgen Klopp last season.
Liverpool also signed goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, but the Georgia international was immediately loaned back to Valencia.
Former Fiorentina player Chiesa has been hit by a succession of serious injuries since helping Italy to Euro 2020 success in 2021 and he arrived at Anfield having last played a competitive game in Italy’s Euro 2024 exit against Switzerland in July.
And Liverpool boss Slot said that, while Chiesa could make his first appearance against Milan, his best hope is of a late outing from the substitutes’ bench.
“He [Chiesa] is for the first time in our team selection,” Slot said at his pre-match press conference in Milan. “And since I said it’s the first time he’s in the selection, it would be a big surprise for him and for everyone if he would start tomorrow.
“So I don’t think you should expect that he starts, but he can make a few minutes for the first time tomorrow if we need him and that is something we will see.
“But don’t expect him to be there from in the starting lineup. He’s been with Juve, training on his own for a long time, and now with us for a few weeks.
“He has had some training time, but it’s too early for him to play 90 minutes. Hopefully he can make his first minutes in the upcoming fixtures.”
Despite Chiesa’s troubled recent fitness record, Slot said that he can still have an impact at Liverpool when he is fully fit.
“I always like to bring in quality players and I think that he is a quality player that combines quality with an enormous work rate,” Slot said. “The culture of this club and the culture of this team is working really hard when we don’t have the ball.
“And I think he brings this to his game in combination with scoring goals in combination with he can play in several positions upfront.”