Indeed, a huge 24 Liverpool players with senior experience (including the out-on-loan Stefan Bajcetic and Lewis Koumas) have been called up for international duty.

Remarkably, once you deduct the injured Joe Gomez, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Bradley and Tyler Morton, only one outfield member of Arne Slot’s squad was not called up for international duty this month - Federico Chiesa.

Admittedly, the Italian being overlooked this month came as no surprise.



He must be more consistent.”

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Spaletti had previously urged Chiesa to return to Serie A towards the end of the January transfer window, though the player’s agent had already insisted he would stay put at Liverpool at the start of the month.

Chiesa has made only 11 appearances for Liverpool since his £10m move from Juventus last summer, but only three have come in the Premier League while he has also only started three times.

Consequently, speculation about his future and a possible return to Serie A inevitably continues.

However, his father, former Italy international Enrico Chiesa, has insisted his son is happy at Anfield and has no regrets about his decision to leave Juventus.

He also backed his son to play a role in the Premier League title run-in, telling Tuttosport newspaper: “He is at a top club that is leading the Premier League and now we hope he can win the title!”

“He is there to have his say and to play, he has a great opportunity.”

It’s curious that such an admission has come after the highlight of Chiesa’s brief Liverpool career to date, having scored off the bench in an eye-catching cameo during the Reds’ disappointing League Cup final defeat to Newcastle United.

Supporters will hope he can now push and help Liverpool clinch their 20th league title, with the Reds 12 points clear of second-placed Arsenal with nine games still to play.

He is putting the work in at least during the international break despite not being called up.

In a post shared on his Instagram Story, Chiesa was seen in Liverpool training wear but rather be a lonesome figure at the AXA Training Centre, he was seemingly out on a football pitch in front of a mountain backdrop as he trained in a sunnier climate back in his native Italy.

Since making his return from injury back in December, the forward’s Reds career has had peaks and troughs despite his limited game-time.

He was left out of matchday squads against Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United at the end of December despite his comeback, before scoring his first goal for the club against Accrington Stanley.

Before scoring at Wembley against Newcastle, that loss to the Pilgrims remained his last Liverpool outing.

Yet despite Liverpool having up to as many as six substitutes in some games, still Chiesa remained on the bench until desperate circumstances dictated his introduction against Newcastle.

Now the Italian needs to push on rather than suffer another false dawn, with the Reds next in action at home to Everton on Wednesday 2 April.

So those are moments to show where you are, if you have improved, yes or no, and if you come closer to the players who are starting - and of course when they come in.

“But for the ones who don’t start, it is not an ideal world that we have so many games, that’s completely true.”

Well after hosting Everton, Liverpool have no more midweek games after their disappointing, premature Champions League exit.
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