Emmanuel Petit hopes Federico Chiesa can ignite his Liverpool career in the second half of the season, admitting he had expected more from the Italian at Anfield. The forward scored his first Reds goal last week in their FA Cup victory over Accrington Stanley.

But a combination of injury, illness and the intensity of English football have limited him to just five appearances since he joined the club from Juventus in an initial £10m last summer. The 27-year-old was an unused substitute in Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest last night, despite impressing days earlier in the FA Cup.

And while Petit stopped short of branding Chiesa a flop, the World Cup winner admitted the forward has endured a frustrating time since joining the Reds.

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“It's hard to say for me that he's been a flop because he's been injured. He played for 45 minutes with Liverpool this weekend, but Federico Chiesa,” Petit told Casino Utan Spelpaus when asked to pick his flop of the season.

“I love that guy with Italy, with Juventus. I love his energy, the way he plays, the movement he brings on the pitch, the character and personality. At the moment, because of his injuries, it has been frustrating for him in the Premier League.

“For me, it's hard to say he's a flop because he's been injured for such a long time. I hope he will stay away from injuries until the end of the season.

“He is the first name that comes to mind when I think about players that I have expected more from. What he has done or hasn’t done this season, it's so far from what the Liverpool fans would have expected from him.”

While Petit has been left disappointed by Chiesa’s struggles, he hailed his Reds team-mate Ryan Gravenberch as one of the very best midfielders in the Premier League this season.

“I would probably say Gravenberch from Liverpool and Caicedo at Chelsea,” he said. “Gravenberch changed his position as well.

“You can see that the confidence is completely different with (Arne) Slot than it was with (Jurgen) Klopp. I think he needed one year to settle perfectly into the first eleven.

“Also, Slot changed the way they played. They play with more composure; you know it’s not now in transition all the time. They control the ball more, in terms of position. So that suits him the most.

“You can see that he has become a very, very good player at Liverpool and is a crucial part of the midfield and the way that Slot wants to play.”

Liverpool remain six points clear at the top of the Premier League table after their draw with Forest, though they could see Arsenal eat into their advantage when they face Tottenham Hotspur in tonight’s North London derby.

Petit concedes Liverpool’s destiny is still in their own hands, but the former Gunners midfielder insists they could be their own enemy in the title race as he pointed to a tough fixture list and a number of dropped points in recent weeks.

“The race for the Premier League is not over yet,” he said. “When you look at Liverpool, they have a six-point advantage, with a game in hand against Everton.

“That doesn't mean that they will win easily at Goodison Park. That is a derby and they just changed manager as well. That could be extra motivation for Everton. We all know that it's never easy to travel away at Goodison Park.

“For the moment, Liverpool have a six-point cushion. When I look at Liverpool's schedule, they have been struggling in the last few weeks in terms of results. And then the Champions League is coming back.

“When I look at the schedule, they will face a top, top team during the last six months of the Premier League. The biggest enemy for Liverpool is themselves.”

Petit continued: “They (Liverpool) have their destiny in their hands. So if they do the right things, they will be champions. But in the fight in the Premier League, everything goes so fast. You never know what will happen.

“So, six points is not a big target to reach. Even if it's nine points, Arsenal have to play against Liverpool in the second part of the season. You never know what can happen.

“The fact that Arsenal is not involved in the FA Cup and could be heading out of the League Cup, that may help them focus on the Premier League.

“When you look at the schedule for Liverpool, you look at the way that the last games have gone for them, they conceded the first goal all the time. You never know what can happen in the Premier League.”