Italy head coach Roberto Mancini has made it clear that he does not plan to turn Chelsea full-back Marco Palestra into a winger despite his attacking qualities.

Palestra made his Chelsea debut in the 5-1 win over Bournemouth in early October, having previously struggled with a quadriceps injury early in the season.

He also had to miss out on international duty with Italy in the September-October break.

He has since featured six times for Chelsea, albeit starting just twice. Surprisingly, his first start, in the 2-0 win over Manchester United in late October, was at left-back instead of his more natural right side.

Josh Acheampong, who is naturally a centre-back, was ahead of both Palestra and Malo Gusto at right-back. Acheampong does not offer as much offensively as the right-back pair, but he is clearly the better defender on this list.

When Acheampong suffered a minor injury in training ahead of the trip to Sunderland last weekend, Palestra finally earned his first start at right-back. Unfortunately, it ended in a disappointing 1-0 defeat.

Palestra made only four defensive contributions in the 62 minutes he played against Sunderland, but he also created Chelsea’s only big chance in the game. It was a brilliant cross into the box that Morgan Rogers unfortunately could not convert and headed it wide.

There have been questions about whether Palestra, who is clearly better in attack than defence, should play further forward as a winger, which would get him involved in the build-up more frequently. Mancini, however, does not think this is the way to go.

“I think he's a very offensive right-back. I don't think he can be a winger, but he's very young, so he could become one,” the Italy boss said in a recent press conference.

“He comes from an injury, so it'll take time to regain fitness, but he has great quality. He is an attacking full-back, and it suits us.”

Obviously, Chelsea knew about Palestra’s characteristics when they decided to sign the 21-year-old from Serie A side Atalanta for about £47m.

Palestra also shone in pre-season, but it was mostly after Xabi Alonso switched the system to a back three. Palestra had a lot more freedom as a wing-back and significantly fewer defensive responsibilities.

In the last month, Chelsea have played with a back four, and Alonso’s preference for Acheampong at right-back suggests the manager prioritises defence.

Palestra as an attacking full-back could work if he had a hard-working winger, such as Pedro Neto, in front of him, who could provide some cover when needed. 

The Italy international’s tendency to leave his post to join the attack likely played a part in Alonso’s decision to field three midfielders, instead of the usual two, against Sunderland as well.

The ideal solution is for Palestra to learn to be more disciplined in defence. He is young, so he has plenty of time to grow as a player. He also has the physical attributes, with his frame and his speed, to be great both offensively and defensively.