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Italy legend and manager Gennaro Gattuso has told Federico Chiesa that it is 'his problem' if he chooses to miss out on the latest stage of Italy's bid to qualify for the World Cup.
Former Juventus star Chiesa has not played for Italy since the last European Championship, where they crashed out in the round of 16 to Switzerland despite going into the tournament as reigning champions.
The 28-year-old was one of Italy's key men when they won Euro 2020 under the management of Roberto Mancini, but again rejected his most-recent call-up to the national team.
Gattuso said Chiesa snubbed the call as he hinted at the player dealing with 'problems' in a press conference ahead of his side's crunch ties against Norway and Moldova, which they lost 4-1 and won 2-0 respectively.
That saw them reach the play-offs, where they have been drawn against Northern Ireland before a potential tie with Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Former midfielder Gattuso, meanwhile, has spoken out again on Chiesa, hinting that it's up to him whether he returns to the national side for those games.
Liverpool's Federico Chiesa has been told it's 'his problem' if he continues to reject call-ups to the Italy national team
Gattuso said Chiesa has 'problems' and that he is frequently in contact with the forward
'You know this very well,' he told Sky Italia. 'You always ask the same questions. I call Chiesa. I call him before every international break.
'The problem isn't Gattuso or his coaching staff. It's his problem. Not ours. You know that very well. You always ask me the same questions and I keep giving you the same answer.'
Ahead of the games, he had said: 'I often talk to him. 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.'
Gattuso was asked by reporters for clarification that the decision had come from Chiesa himself, to which he replied: 'Yes, it's already the fourth or fifth time that I'm explaining this.'
The Azzurri boss was appointed midway through their World Cup qualifying campaign after Luciano Spaletti was sacked, and has previously spoken about Chiesa deciding against playing for the national side.
Gattuso revealed in September the Liverpool forward had ruled himself out of contention against Belgium and Israel because he did not feel '100 per cent'.
'The Chiesa issue is very simple,' the manager said at the time. 'I talk to my players a lot, and I want to make that clear, a lot.
'I speak every week with Fede and he knows what I think of him, but I also have to respect what the player tells me. He does not feel at 100 per cent and wants to be at 100 per cent, that is the truth.'
