Liverpool defender Giovanni Leoni will miss the rest of the season after tearing an anterior cruciate ligament on his debut for the club. The 18-year-old, signed from Parma for £26m last month, sustained the injury during an assured performance against Southampton in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday.
Manager Arne Slot confirmed the severity of the injury on Friday, stating that Leoni faces surgery and a rehabilitation period of around a year. “He is not in a good place, of course, because he tore his ACL and it means he will be out for around a year,” Slot said. “Being so young, coming to a new country and playing so well in your first game … it’s very hard to take the positive side.”
Leoni’s absence may increase the likelihood of Liverpool making another move for Crystal Palace captain Marc Guéhi in January, after a deadline-day deal collapsed. Slot was noncommittal on whether he would seek reinforcements, saying: “That all depends on whether we get more injuries and if there’s a chance in the market. But I would not prefer to go to 24, 25 players.”
Slot also confirmed that Liverpool intend to add Federico Chiesa to their Champions League squad list to replace Leoni, as new Uefa rules allow an outfield player unavailable for 60 days or more to be replaced. Meanwhile, forward Hugo Ekitiké has not been fined for his red card against Southampton, which means he misses the trip to Crystal Palace.
