Liverpool defender Giovanni Leoni faces months out after suffering a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his first appearance for the Reds.
The 18-year-old played 81 minutes of Liverpool’s 2-1 Carabao Cup third-round win over Southampton on Tuesday before leaving the field with the injury.
Leoni, who joined the Reds in August from Parma for £26 million plus bonuses, underwent scans on his left knee, which confirmed a ruptured ACL.
Leoni’s season with Liverpool is over, and he will need at least seven months to recover and return to Arne Slot’s squad.
The Dutch coach will be forced to complete the season, or at least until January, with only three central defenders: Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, and Joe Gomez.
Every cloud has a silver lining. This is what Federico Chiesa might have to say about this injury, as Liverpool will include him in Leoni’s Champions League squad, according to English media reports.
