A respected Liverpool reporter has explained exactly why Arne Slot has snubbed Federico Chiesa in the Reds' title-winning campaign.
Chiesa's was Slot's only signing in his first season, joining from Juventus for a fee of £10 million and penning a four-year contract after being made surplus to requirements by the Bianconeri.
Given the low transfer fee, the deal for the Italy international was hailed by many as a coup.
But while Liverpool have won the Premier League for the second time in Slot's first campaign, Chiesa has struggled for regular minutes and was already being linked with a move back to Italy in January.
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The 27-year-old has made just four appearances in the Premier League and needs another outing in the remaining four games to guarantee a winners' medal.
Though Chiesa did find the net with a consolation in the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle, Slot has not trusted the former Fiorentina man and he has been well behind the other Liverpool attackings in the pecking order.
He did not feature in the 5-1 title-clinching win over Spurs and Lewis Steele of the Daily Mail has provided an explanation as to why he has been overlooked.
Liverpool coaches were concerned by what happened to Federico Chiesa
"Well, for the first half of the season it was obvious: Federico Chiesa was not fully fit or anywhere close to being match-ready.
And then I am told his performance at Plymouth in the FA Cup exit really concerned the coaching staff. It was not good enough and that set him back somewhat.
"He has had some nice cameos – Darwin Nunez took the credit for that win at Brentford but he changed the game, too, and his goal at Wembley in the Carabao Cup final was very nice. I would like to see Chiesa get some minutes in the next few weeks. His future is uncertain to say the least but he has not really had a chance to show Slot and Co what he can do.
"The other reason is that he is the sixth-choice striker so the others start or come on first through merit. It is a bit of a catch 22 for Chiesa but I am confident we will see him play some part in these final four games."
Chiesa has played 90 minutes just once for Liverpool against Plymouth in that shock FA Cup defeat to the Championship outfit, while in the Premier League the most he's played in a game is just 13 minutes against Bournemouth.
Topics: Arne Slot, Liverpool, Federico Chiesa
Josh Lawless