Federico Chiesa defended after another snub for Liverpool star - 'That is the truth'

Liverpool star Federico Chiesa has been told that he 'deserves' a return to the Italian national team by ex-team-mate Federico Bernardeschi. Chiesa, 27, hasn't played for his country since last summer's European Championship.

Since then, Italy have changed managers, sacking Luciano Spalletti and appointing Gennaro Gattuso midway through their World Cup qualifying campaign. Chiesa was under consideration for his first squad in September but after holding talks with Gattuso, he ruled himself out of a call-up due to fitness concerns.

It appears that the former Fiorentina and Juventus star did the same this month, too, as Gattuso explained: "The Chiesa issue is very simple. I talk to my players a lot, and I want to make that clear, a lot.

"I speak every week with Fede and he knows what I think of him, but I also have to respect what the player tells me. He does not feel at 100 per cent and wants to be at 100 per cent, that is the truth."

Chiesa has only played one full game this season, starring in Liverpool's 2-1 victory at home to Southampton in the Carabao Cup. The 27-year-old assisted both goals, double the amount that he provided across the entirety of last season.

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Bernardeschi, who returned to Serie A with Bologna this season after three years at Canadian side Toronto, argues that Italy need Chiesea's 'pure talent'. Speaking at the Festival dello Sport, Bernardeschi said: "I really love Fede like a brother. He deserves it, he has deserved it and will deserve it again.

"I think we need this sort of pure talent, even if they are sometimes criticised. In the end, talent is talent. And that shows in tough moments, like with what happened to him last year, but look at how he's coming out of it.

"We talk a lot, he's at a great team and if he's there, it's because he deserves to be there.... We hope to be there (at the World Cup) together. Neither of us has gone to one yet, it would be nice to go together, for everyone, also for Italy."

Will Italy qualify for the World Cup? Give us your prediction in the comments section.

The Azzurri are coming towards the end of a tricky qualifying campaign and risk missing out on a third consecutive World Cup. Due to Norway's stronghold on Group I, Italy are likely to go into the March play-offs.

Gattuso's side have a perfect record since his appointment, though, scoring 13 goals in three games. They host Israel in Udine on Tuesday, hoping to cut the gap to Norway to three points ahead of their final two qualifiers - one of which is at home to the group leaders on the final matchday, a game that could either be a dead rubber or winner-takes-all.

Liverpool play six matches before Gattuso names his next set of call-ups, and Chiesa will be hoping to impress. He was left on the bench during the Reds' 2-1 defeat to Chelsea before the international break, despite scoring his second goal of the season as a second-half substitute in the previous weekend's loss against Crystal Palace.

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