Liverpool forward Federico Chiesa took part in a section of the Reds’ training session ahead of Southampton on Friday but Arne Slot had already hinted it could be another week or two before the Italian is ready to play competitively again.
Chiesa has only played a total of 78 minutes for Liverpool since arriving from Juventus in the summer for a cut-price fee. His last appearance was against West Ham United in the Carabao Cup.
And while he arrived with a checkered injury history, the 26-year-old has been working his way back to full fitness having missed the whole of pre-season. He needs more time to adapt to the intensity and physicality of the English game.
“I would not use the word concern but it is far from ideal for him and us,” Slot said of Chiesa a couple of weeks ago. “Because with the injury of Dioga (Jota) we have four attackers available, so this could have been a great moment for him to get more playing time.
“It is difficult for a player who missed out on pre-season and playing pre-season games and training sessions. You have to give a player more time to get to the intensity levels. It is a difficult balance to get him where we want but we are trying and he is trying everything he can to get to these levels.
“Once he is at that physical level we will benefit from having him. At this moment we expect him back during the international break and then he should be with us after the international break normally.”
Diogo Jota is also missing at the moment but he should be back at a similar point to Chiesa. Alisson Becker and Trent Alexander-Arnold will miss Southampton but Harvey Elliott is back in contention.
“[Jota is] still apart from the group, same as Federico,” Slot revealed early on Friday. “[Chiesa] is coming back into the session maybe in one exercise today. They are all expected to be back within now and a few weeks.”
While no exact date has been placed on Chiesa’s return (or Jota’s for that matter), it should not be too long. After Southampton tomorrow, Liverpool plays Real Madrid, Manchester City, Newcastle and Everton in the next two weeks.
Liverpool.com says: Some people have been predictably quick to write Chiesa off but it is far too soon for that to be the conclusion. If he can get back to full fitness in the next couple of weeks, he will make a huge difference during a crucial period in the campaign.