A move is yet to materialise, however, and manager Arne Slot turned to Chiesa off the bench in Friday’s meeting with Bournemouth. The 27-year-old netted late on to put Liverpool ahead, before Mohamed Salah’s injury-time strike sealed a nervy 4–2 victory.

Liverpool risk losing summer transfer target Rodrygo to rivals Manchester City if a certain sale goes through, and Federico Chiesa could have a major role to play in the saga

After the final whistle, Chiesa made a beeline for the backroom staff on the touchline who had helped guide him through some tough times. The biggest embraces were reserved for first-team doctor Amit Pannu and performance psychologist Lee Richardson before he rejoined his team-mates on the field.