Federico Chiesa has made a long-awaited return to action, featuring for Liverpool’s under-21s as the £120,000-a-week signing aims to build up his fitness after an injury nightmare since his arrival.
The 27-year-old Italian international joined the Reds from Juventus for a bargain price of £10million, rising to a potential £12.5m.
Liverpool believed they had signed a player to add further depth to a forward line that includes Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo.
But Chiesa has only played 78 minutes for Liverpool to date, with his sole start coming in Liverpool’s Carabao Cup victory over West Ham last month.
Arne Slot has insisted Chiesa’s absence is due to the Italian having missed pre-season and continuing work to reach the intensity of the rest of the squad.
Now the talented wide man looks to be inching ever closer to a comeback after turning out for the youth team against FC Nordsjaelland, bagging an equaliser in the clash after 10 minutes, The Sun reports.
Federico Chiesa returned to the Liverpool fray, appearing for the under-21s on Wednesday
The Italian (wearing no7) even scored an equaliser in the match against FC Nordsjaelland
Chiesa has played just 78 minutes for Liverpool since completing his £12.5million summer move
Slot’s predecessor Jurgen Klopp had tried to land the Euro 2020-winning star in the summer of 2023 and also two years prior but failed on both occasions.
It was something of a blessing in disguise as the Reds eventually signed their man for £41m less than the £51m quoted to them by Juventus.
The Turin outfit had stuck firmly to their asking price even after Chiesa suffered a knee injury which prompted a sharp decline in form.
He ended up moving to Anfield on a lucrative four-year deal having played 33 Serie A matches last campaign, ending up as Juventus’s top scorer with nine.
His bad track record with fitness stretches back to January 2022 when he picked up an anterior cruciate ligament injury which ruled him out for seven months.
Chiesa’s encouraging run-out for the under-21s comes after it emerged that Inter Milan were pushing to bring him in on a six-month loan deal in January.
While the Italian was playing for the youth team on Wednesday, the senior squad were busy playing out a topsy-turvy Premier League clash which ended 3-3.
Salah provided yet another reminder of his importance to Liverpool with two goals and an assist in an action-packed second-half before Newcastle’s Fabian Schar slid in at the last-minute to secure a dramatic draw.
Mohamed Salah provided a reminder of his class with two goals and an assist against Newcastle
The Magpies had started the brighter, as Alexander Isak rifled home from outside the area
Fabian Schar provided a late sting in the tail by sliding in for a last-minute equaliser
Read More
Newcastle and Liverpool produce a throwback classic 3-3 draw which neither side deserved to lose
Isak had blown a tense encounter wide open within half an hour with a thumping effort from range to catch Caoimhín Kelleher completely off-guard and send the Magpies a goal up.
The Reds then came out after the break determined not to cede any ground to their title rivals and Curtis Jones delivered the goods with a goal from out of nowhere. But the Magpies bounced back, this time with Isak turning provider.
The centre-forward slipped Gordon through and the English star sharply turned Joe Gomez, leaving the centre-back on the turf, and slotted home.
Then Salah turned the game around with a magnificent brace before Schar broke Liverpool hearts at the death.
