Italy have confirmed Liverpool winger Federico Chiesa has been sent back to the Premier League giants due to injury and will not feature in their vital 2026 World Cup play-offs. However, striker Hugo Ekitike has linked up with the France squad despite being substituted early on during the Reds' 2-1 defeat to Brighton on Saturday.Chiesa had been included in Italy's squad for their World Cup play-offs, where they first face Northern Ireland before taking on either Wales or Bosnia should they progress from the semi-finals. The 28-year-old appeared as a late substitute during Liverpool's defeat to Brighton at the weekend but it has now been confirmed that the former Juventus star will recover from his latest knock back on Merseyside.A statement from the Azzurri reads: "Federico Chiesa, whose condition was assessed upon arrival at the Federal Technical Centre, was deemed unavailable for the next two matches and, in agreement with the club, left the national team’s training camp."Manager Gennaro Gattuso added: "Chiesa showed up for the call-up yesterday, but he had some minor physical problems, and both he and I thought it was pointless for him to stay."Chiesa was a late summer signing ahead of the 2024-25 season and struggled for regular appearances under manager Arne Slot. While he has featured in 23 Premier League matches this term, scoring twice and registering one assist, only one of those has been a start.There has also been a vast amount of concern over the fitness of Ekitike. The forward had to be brought off early on at the AMEX Stadium and left the field of play gingerly, but he has since been spotted arriving for France duty at their Clairefontaine camp.Les Bleus are set to play two friendlies against Brazil and Colombia in the United States and Ekitike will hope to get the opportunity to make an impression before the World Cup. The 23-year-old faces plenty of competition for a place in the starting XI, with the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, Desire Doue, Marcus Thuram and Rayan Cherki all available to manager Didier Deschamps. Reds boss Slot has had to contend with a large amount of injuries throughout the 2025-26 campaign. Summer signing Alexander Isak struggled for fitness after forcing through a move from Newcastle and then needed surgery on his ankle after getting injured while scoring against Tottenham in December.Young defender Giovanni Leoni is recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament blow, but goalkeeper Alisson Becker and attacker Mohamed Salah are hoping to be available again after the March international break.Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reportingWhile fitness issues have been a major issue for Slot and Liverpool this season, they still have a chance to finish the campaign strongly. They currently sit fifth in the Premier League table, which would be enough to secure Champions League qualification due to England's strong UEFA co-efficient ranking, while they next face Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals of Europe's elite club competition.Their first match after the international break is an FA Cup trip to Manchester City, who claimed the Carabao Cup on Sunday thanks to a 2-0 triumph over Arsenal.