Liverpool may not be doing much to aid Thomas Tuchel as he looks to lead England to World Cup glory this summer, with Curtis Jones not included in the latest Three Lions squad as the only realistic Reds star vying for a spot on the plane next summer, but they’re doing excellent work to thwart the bids of other major nations.

Federico Chiesa hasn’t played for Italy since Euro 2024, and after refusing a call-up in September on the basis of “not feeling 100 per cent” on the back of a first Liverpool season in which he barely featured, manager Gennaro Gattuso has now revealed that the winger has snubbed him once again ahead of their games against Moldova and Norway.

“I often talk to him,” Gattuso said. “We have to respect the decisions and problems that each of us has.

“We know well what we tell each other, and I must respect what the player tells me. I can’t say anything else.”

READ:?16 Conclusions from Man City 3-0 Liverpool: Champions slip to eighth and out of title race

When asked whose decision it was for Chiesa not to join the squad for their crucial clashes with Moldova and Group I leaders Norway – whom they sit three points behind – Gattuso suggested it was once again Chiesa who had declined a call-up.

“Yes, it’s already the fourth or fifth time that I’m explaining this,” he added.

Quite what the “problems” are isn’t clear but if it’s because Chiesa has designs on being at his peak before he returns to the national team he a) evidently doesn’t believe that to be the case despite a quite significant uptick in game time this term and b) is very unlikely to ever reach that point as if he can’t get in the team during a Liverpool crisis, when will he?

Florian Wirtz?has?answered the Germany call for their World Cup qualifiers against?Luxembourg and Slovakia this month, and manager Julian Nagelsmann claimed the lack of stability at Liverpool is to blame for his playmaker’s poor form.

Germany currently sit top of Group A, but only on goal difference ahead of Slovakia, with Northern Ireland just three points behind them.

Wirtz was labelled the second Liverpool “little boy” of the season by Gary Nevilleafter the 3-0 defeat to Manchester City and is incredibly still yet to score a goal for Liverpool after his ￡100m move from Bayer Leverkusen, claiming just three assists in his 16 games so far.

“To be honest, the whole situation does not make it easy for him either,” Nagelsmann said. “The whole club itself [Liverpool] is not as stable this year as it was last year. It’s much harder to slip into the team now.

“If you look vs [Manchester] City, they were the worse team over the 90 minutes. So it is also difficult for Flo to make any real big impact.

“Ultimately, the overall situation is such that he just needs a little more time – which is normal and you see that with other players, who move to the English Premier League as well.”

MORE LIVERPOOL COVERAGE ON F365…
???Premier League winners and losers: Villa, Konate, Soucek, Newcastle, Brentford, Ugarte, Frank and more
???What did Alexander Isak see during Liverpool defeat as ‘crucial reminder’ issued?
???How Guardiola solved Liverpool ‘nightmare’ and accidentally signed potential ‘best’ right-back in the world

Nagelsmann then called on Wirtz’s Liverpool teammates to convert the chances he creates.

“We all know what he is capable of and it is perfectly normal for a player of his age to go through a bit of a dip in form,” the former Bayern Munich boss added. “We cannot expect him to perform at the same level for three years straight.

“Instead, we all need to support him a little bit, so that he can clear his head here and then, maybe, Liverpool could also help him out by scoring some of the chances he creates.

“That would be one idea, because he does create a few chances. It is just that they somehow do not like to shoot the ball in, from those chances. That is part of the truth.”