Liverpool manager Arne Slot has confirmed that he does not expect Federico Chiesa to make his debut for the club in Sunday's Premier League clash with Manchester United at Old Trafford.
The Italian's £10m arrival from Juventus was confirmed on the penultimate day of the transfer window, and he is eligible to appear this weekend, having been registered before 12pm on Friday.
However, speaking in his pre-game press conference, Slot revealed that Liverpool would be building up Chiesa's fitness slowly after he was frozen out of the Juventus squad for their first two games of the Serie A season.
The Dutchman has not ruled out a debut for Chiesa if any late injuries force his hand, but as things stand, only Curtis Jones (groin) is expected to miss the trip to the Theatre of Dreams.
As a result, an unchanged front three should comprise Diogo Jota and last weekend's Brentford match-winners Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah, the latter of whom is aiming to score at Old Trafford for the seventh game in a row.
Dominik Szoboszlai will pull the strings in the number 10 slot as ever, with Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch operating just behind him; the latter has adapted well to the demands of the number six role so far.
Set to make his 200th Premier League appearance for Liverpool, Virgil van Dijk will marshal an unchanged backline alongside Ibrahima Konate, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andrew Robertson and Alisson Becker, whom Liverpool have prepared for life after with the signing of Valencia's Giorgi Mamardashvili.
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Salah, Szoboszlai, Diaz; Jota
> Click here to see how Man United could line up for this clash
Ben Knapton
