Arne Slot finally sees the star he DEMANDED for his squad

Liverpool have the kind of squad depth that most teams envy.

When a player gets injured, there is usually an understudy who can step up and fill in the position.

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At right-wing, however, Liverpool have been heavily reliant on Mohamed Salah and for the most part, he's been available for the team as a result of his impeccable fitness record. And given his absurd attacking returns in front of goal each season, the idea of rotating him has felt nonsensical.

But this summer, the Reds decided that it was time to bring in another right-winger to compete with the Egyptian for game time, although this move has proved to be largely unsuccessful so far. Still, the signs are promising.

Federico Chiesa's season so far

Towards the end of the transfer window, the opportunity to sign Chiesa was presented to Liverpool and although the Italian winger has been known for his fitness issues, the 27-year-old was available for £12.5m - a move which seemed too good to be true.

On his day, Chiesa can perform at a world-class level and so the club knew that if they could keep him fit and available, then Salah could be rested slightly more often than in previous years, while the forward line remained free-flowing, with a fresh dynamic at right wing.

However, when Chiesa arrived on Merseyside on deadline day, it was clear that the Italian would need to go through a 'mini pre-season' training programme before he could make his mark in the team.

Within the fanbase, this was largely accepted and understood, until injuries began to plague him, leading to a substantial amount of time on the sidelines.

He was finally able to make his first start for the club in the EFL Cup against West Ham in September, where he notched an assist, but it would take until December before he would make his next appearance for the Reds.

Constantly thwarted by injury, illness and lack of match fitness, frustrations arose quickly as Salah's understudy physically wasn't available to be utilised when the opportunities to play came about.

A new dawn in Slot's team?

In yesterday's 4-0 win over Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup, Slot was able to give Chiesa 45 minutes to make his mark and he sealed an impressive display with his maiden goal for the club.

Shooting from long-range, he neatly put the ball into the far corner of the net to seal an important win for Liverpool.

Harvey Elliott had started the match at right-wing, but Liverpool's intended right-wing back-up was finally able to spend some time in his preferred position and fans could begin to dream of having six players available for selection in the team's forward line.

Through not playing very much this season, reports had arisen which suggested that the club may be looking to cut their losses with Chiesa, with rumours of a move back to Italy circulating.

For the time being, those reports of an immediate departure have been quashed, and a new assessment of the player will have to be made in the summer.

But it would be bold to give up on Chiesa quite so quickly, after all, he is possibly our most interesting player. Across five brief appearances, he has made two goal contributions, averaging 84 minutes per attacking return.

If he can maintain his availability, and continue his ruthless streak in front of goal, then Liverpool will have an asset that could prove to be invaluable as the team attempts to bring home silverware this season.

Of course, his opponents have been largely from further down the EFL pyramid, but his performances count just as much as any other and until he is sidelined again, fans can have hope that the club's £12.5m gamble could pay off.

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