Federico Chiesa should only have one option in January, with a bold Liverpool transfer claim being made about the Italian winger who is well down the pecking order at Anfield

Federico Chiesa has appeared on a competitive Liverpool teamsheet just three times so far under Andoni Iraola. On only one of those occasions — when the Reds were 3-0 down to Manchester City — did he get a couple of minutes on the field.

As a result, while he outlined his desire to make the most of a fresh start during the summer, Chiesa surely has to be considering his future as the next transfer window edges closer.

Given the progression made by Rio Ngumoha, another option out wide, and that there is still Hugo Ekitike to come back into the reckoning when the Frenchman recovers from injury, it has never been harder to imagine a route to action for the Italian, who turned 29 this week.

"Chiesa? He made a mistake in joining Liverpool," the former Juventus, AS Roma and Italy midfielder Angelo Di Livio told Retesport.

"A player who knows how to play football always knows how to do it.

"He needs to recover, but I’d take him since he can play on both flanks. With Gian Piero Gasperini (at Roma), Chiesa would return to the national team."

Chiesa was left out of the Champions League squad named by Liverpool and even in the Carabao Cup, while he was named on the bench last Wednesday, it never felt likely to be turned to.

Quite simply, even more so than under Arne Slot, the emphasis is now on hard running and relentless intensity, and those attributes are beyond what Chiesa has shown himself to be capable of offering.

What long-term future Lewis Koumas has at Liverpool remains to be seen, but for now, the Wales international is comfortably ahead of Chiesa in the pecking order precisely because of his intensity.

And with Koumas having the physical attributes that are essential under Iraola, there is almost zero chance of that changing, even for a role coming off the bench.

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Di Livio's suggestion that Chiesa could return to the Italian national team set-up seems a little far-fetched — he has turned down recent call-ups because he hasn't been fit enough.

But though that might be slightly too bold a call, it is right to suggest that the forward should consider a return to Serie A should the opportunity present itself.

As a low-risk $13 million (£10 million) in 2024, Chiesa was a worthwhile move for Liverpool to take a punt on. Two and a half years on, though, he really needs to be considering what's next.