"His main problem" – Liverpool boss Arne Slot sheds more light on reason behind Federico Chiesa's lack of game time since Anfield switch

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has revealed the primary reason behind star winger Federico Chiesa's lack of game time at the Merseyside outfit.

Chiesa, 27, secured a permanent move worth up to £12.5 million from Serie A giants Juventus to the Reds in the last days of the summer transfer window. However, he failed to relish a fine start at his new club.

The Italy international suffered a muscle injury after making three substitute appearances in September last year. He recovered from his recent injury last month and has slowly regained his fitness of late.

Ahead of Liverpool's Premier League contest at Bournemouth this Saturday (February 1), Slot was asked to share his thoughts on Chiesa's first five months at the Reds. He responded (h/t Liverpool Echo):

"He's ready for more minutes. If he can play 90 minutes in the Champions League, you can play in the Premier League. His main problem is he is in competition with [Luis] Diaz, [Cody] Gakpo, [Darwin] Nunez, [Mohamed] Salah and [Diogo] Jota. They are doing very well as well. A big compliment to him how hard he worked."

Chiesa, whose current deal will run out in June 2028, has started two of his nine appearances across competitions for the Reds. He has scored one goal and contributed two assists in 280 minutes for his club.

Arne Slot heaps praise on Liverpool midfielder

At a pre-game press conference, Arne Slot showered praise on Reds star Dominik Szoboszlai for the midfielder's recent good run of form. He said (h/t Liverpool Echo):

"This season, he has been very consistent in his work-rate. It's one of the reasons why we do well. It's what stands out to me from him, compared to many others, to run such an intensity and keep on running."

Slot, who has lost three of his 35 total games for the Reds, continued:

"He is involved in more dangerous situations and that is something he deserves. I've always felt it was a matter of time before he scores goals and gets assists. He should set the standards high because he can hit the standards."

Szoboszlai, 24, has been a vital starter for Slot since the start of the season. He has started 22 of his 29 appearances across competitions for his team this term, registering four goals and five assists so far.

Overall, Szoboszlai has found the back of the opposition net 11 times and laid out nine assists in 74 total appearances for the Merseyside outfit.