'Unbelievable' Federico Chiesa praised for impact on Liverpool Under-21s squad as £12.5m summer signing builds up fitness ahead of Reds debut

Despite interest from several top clubs, including Barcelona, Liverpool managed to secure Chiesa in a cut-price deal after he fell out of favour with Juventus. During his time in Serie A, Chiesa showed immense potential, but his career has been disrupted by a string of injuries.

One of the most significant setbacks came in 2022, when a cruciate ligament tear sidelined him for nine months, limiting his minutes on the pitch with the Bianconeri. However, after a challenging few years, Chiesa is looking forward to a fresh start with Liverpool and aims to regain the form that made him one of Europe’s brightest prospects.

Chiesa has been focusing on an individual training programme in Liverpool during the international break so that he can be match-fit once club football resumes, shaking off any lingering injury concerns. The Italian joined the U21 squad at the AXA Training Centre on Thursday, participating in a session and his involvement received massive praise from U21s coach Barry Lewtas.

"Obviously you can see from the quality of his career so far, this is why he's at one of the best clubs in the world. His professionalism and his quality were really good," he told Liverpoolfc.com.

"It obviously just gives our boys a little bit of a chance to play against someone of that quality [and] it's a really good learning opportunity for them. I think any time when we come around to the first-team side, which we do a lot, is always really good. It's a change of scenery but also more importantly gets us around first-team players and first-team staff, which is important for the boys."

Chiesa’s first appearance for Liverpool could come as soon as September 14, when the Reds face Nottingham Forest at Anfield. The Kop will be eager to hand him a warm welcome with the hope that the Italian will become a key player for Arne Slot this season.