Arne Slot has been struck by the transformation of one Liverpool player already this season.
The Dutch manager was speaking ahead of his side’s trip to play Newcastle on Monday night when singling out a forward he thinks could make a big impact.
He said: ‘If Federico Chiesa is more available then he already has more chances to impact our results or his playing time. But then it is about him staying as fit as he is at the moment.
‘I see a totally different Federico now than from large parts of last season, which is completely normal because he missed out on large parts of pre-season and then comes into a Premier League rhythm in terms of the amount of games and intensity.
‘He is in a much better place now and as we can all see, when we needed a goal and looked at the bench, I only had him and Rio – a 16-year-old as attacking options.
‘So for me, although Rio did really well in pre-season, it was quite a normal choice to bring Chiesa in and he delivered.’
Chiesa’s decisive strike in the 4-2 win over Bournemouth on opening day was his best moment so far in a Liverpool shirt.
His well taken volleyed finished helped the Reds to victory, with Mo Salah adding another to put gloss on a game more competitive than the scoreline suggested.
Chiesa had widely been expected to leave Liverpool in the summer and there was plenty of interest from Italian sides.
But given the departures of Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez, the 27-year-old has found himself rising through the pecking order.
It remains to be seen whether Liverpool will bring in further attacking reinforcements with just over a week left of the transfer window.
It appears that the protracted pursuit of Alexander Isak is likely to end in disappointment if the Reds do not return with an improved bid depending on Newcastle’s ability to sign forwards themselves.
Chiesa would therefore be leaned upon heavily, given the lack of depth in the champions’ forward line.
One injury to either Cody Gakpo, Mohammed Salah or Hugo Ekitike would see Chiesa leap into a starting spot.
The Premier League champions face a daunting trip to St James’ Park on Monday night in what will no doubt be a febrile atmosphere given the Isak saga.
Liverpool will be desperate for Chiesa to continue to bright start he has made to the campaign and it will be a huge boost to Slot if he can be a dependable presence in the months ahead.
