Liverpool manager Arne Slot has confirmed the worst on the Giovanni Leoni injury, with the young centre-back looking set to face a year out of action.
The talented Italian defender joined Liverpool this summer and only made one appearance in the Carabao Cup win over Southampton this week before being hit by this injury blow.
Leoni had to be stretchered off in that game, and Slot has now spoken about the extent of his injury, which he confirmed would be a long-term one.
See below as journalist Ben Jacobs reported on Slot’s press conference comments about the Leoni injury this morning…
Jacobs posted: “Arne Slot confirms Giovanni Leoni has sustained an ACL injury after being stretchered off against Southampton on his debut. “It’s not good. He’s going to be out for up to a year.” Federico Chiesa set to be included in Liverpool’s #UCL squad. Tough break for 18-year-old Leoni, who had looked assured on his debut.”
Major blow for Liverpool youngster Giovanni Leoni
This is extremely bad luck for Leoni, who looks like a promising young talent who could still have a big future at Anfield if he comes back well from this injury.
Reds fans will be wishing him all the best in his recovery, but it will also be hugely frustrating for them, and it could mean a new signing in defence is needed this January.
Leoni looked like providing good cover for Liverpool behind the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, but that option is now gone for this season.
Joe Gomez is still at LFC and can give Slot another option at the back, but it’s hard to imagine that being enough over the course of a long and challenging campaign in which the club will hope to compete in four competitions.