Arne Slot reveals Federico Chiesa plan for Bournemouth after Liverpool debut
Arne Slot has teased Federico Chiesa's Premier League debut against Bournemouth this weekend following his cameo against AC Milan.
The Italian was finally handed his first minutes in a Liverpool shirt during Tuesday's 3-1 victory at the San Siro, featuring off the bench for the final three minutes of added time on his return to his homeland following his summer switch from Juventus.
Chiesa has had to be patient to make his first appearance, having been left out of the matchday squads against Manchester United and Nottingham Forest since signing on a four-year deal from the Serie A outfit.
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Even after making his debut against AC Milan on Tuesday, the 26-year-old was restricted to just a few minutes at the end of the game as he came on to replace Mohamed Salah with the game already done and dusted for the Reds.
But speaking after the game, Slot has now teased more minutes on a regular basis for Chiesa, claiming his new winger must continue gaining minutes on the pitch if he is to become a real asset for Liverpool this season - starting with Saturday's visit of Bournemouth.
He told beIN SPORTS: "We will see more of the players that haven’t played a lot today or in other games in the future soon. But [Chiesa] gets fitter and fitter. He had a difficult pre-season because he was not always able to train with the first team of Juve, so he had to train a lot on his own.
"Then it takes a bit of time to get your match fitness. It’s getting better and better. He needs playing minutes now, but he has competition from some good wingers as well, so let’s see when we’re going to use him.
“But he’s going to be a big asset for us, a very good player for us, that’s clear. That’s what we knew before we signed him and it’s also what we see on the training ground now.”
With Liverpool still to play another five games in just 17 days, which included two midweek fixtures at Anfield against West Ham United in the Carabao Cup and Bologna in the Champions League, Slot is sure to utilize his squad to the max in order to keep his main stars as fresh as possible.
With a favorable home tie against Bournemouth this weekend, Chiesa is likely to be given another run-out off the bench once Salah's legs get a bit weary, having so far started all five of Liverpool's fixtures so far this season.
However, it is that Carabao Cup game against West Ham next week where Chiesa could finally be handed his first start for his new club, with England's secondary cup competition low down on the priority list for Liverpool this season - although one Slot will certainly believe he can win during his first season in charge.