Italy boss says Chiesa call-up ‘pointless’ as Liverpool winger withdraws | OneFootball

Italy boss Gennaro Gattuso has said it was ‘pointless’ to have Federico Chiesa with the national team after medical examination of the Liverpool winger.

Chiesa was called up by the Italian national team for this month’s World Cup play-off campaign, with the Azzurri set to take on Northern Ireland in the semi-final on Thursday.

The 28-year-old has since withdrawn after tests determined he was not fit to play. It continues a tough period for Chiesa, who has not been capped by Italy since 2024.

Chiesa has featured predominantly from the bench for Liverpool and was a late substitute during the 2-1 defeat at Brighton on Saturday. He has started just two Premier League games since signing the Reds that summer.

Gattuso has now deemed the out-of-favour Italian unfit for this month’s crucial schedule.

“There are players that deserved a call like Zaniolo, Bernardeschi, Fagioli, Orsolini, but I chose to give faith to the group I formed,” Gattuso said.

“Every team has injuries, I want no excuses. We are only thinking about the match and not who could’ve been there.

“Chiesa showed up with some physical problems and it was pointless to keep him here.”

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