Manchester United reportedly attempted to lure Federico Chiesa from Juventus to Old Trafford in the summer as Erik ten Hag sought after late attacking reinforcements. However, by the deadline, the 27-year-old winger was a Liverpool player, joining in an initial £10million deal that, at the time, seemed a bargain.
Arne Slot looked to have added an established international with 73 career goals to his ranks for a cut-price fee.
The injury-plagued months that followed have proven that Juventus were happy to offload the versatile forward for a reason.
He could’ve landed in Manchester instead. In August, Italian outlet Sport claimed that United and Chelsea had both tabled offers for Chiesa’s signature.
And despite his early struggles at Anfield, the Red Devils could be left ruining their alleged failure to recruit Chiesa this afternoon.
Chiesa is expected to return to the Liverpool bench against United after his absence from the travelling squad in the 5-0 win at West Ham United last time out.
He has made just one Premier League appearance this season – an 18-minute cameo in the 3-0 victory over Bournemouth in September.
Minutes have been limited in general due to a muscle injury that sidelined him for two months until his return to action against Southampton last month.
Any Liverpool forward will fancy their chances when United visit Merseyside based on the bitter rivals’ results in recent years.
Since May 2021, the Reds have beaten United 4-2, 5-0, 4-0, 7-0 and 3-0. They even scored three in last season’s 4-3 defeat in an FA Cup quarter-final classic at Old Trafford.
Mohamed Salah particularly enjoys himself. He has scored more goals (12) and provided more assists (6) against the M16 giants than any other player in Premier League history.
Salah has already been involved in 30 Premier League goals this season to fuel Slot’s side in their title chase.
He has registered 17 goals and 13 assists while scoring and assisting in eight different games, already the most by a player in a single campaign.
Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo are also enjoying fine seasons under Slot, while Darwin Nunez has a history of finding the net against United.
The hosts are heavy favourites, with United starting the day 14th in the Premier League and just seven points above the relegation zone after 19 matches.
Inflicting a fifth consecutive defeat on Ruben Amorim would propel Liverpool to six points clear at the Premier League summit with a game in hand.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk