Liverpool defender Giovanni Leoni sustained a serious injury during yesterday’s Carabao Cup third-round fixture against Southampton.
Following Jarell Quansah’s departure, the Reds decided to reinforce the defensive department by signing the Italian from Parma for a fee of around £26m this summer. Arne Slot’s side were also keen on purchasing Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace, but a deal eventually didn’t come to fruition.
After remaining as an unused substitute over the last few games, the 18-year-old was handed his first start last night. The youngster even displayed an eye-catching performance, winning three out of three aerial duels and making 88 passes with a 97% accuracy rate.
However, his debut ended in a very disappointing manner after picking up an injury during the later stages of the game. Straight away, it looked like a serious problem, and he was taken off on a stretcher.
Now, on X, Romano says that Leoni has torn his ACL and is set to remain sidelined for ‘several months’. Arne Slot was happy with his performance vs Southampton, but the defender’s season is all but over.
Romano wrote:
“Liverpool centre back Giovanni Leoni has torn his ACL and will be out for several months. After excellent debut in League Cup last night with also Arne Slot very happy, an unlucky injury for Leoni who will try to be back before the end of the season.”
Leoni picks up serious injury
Following Leoni’s injury, Liverpool have been left with Joe Gomez, Ibrahima Konate, and Virgil Van Dijk as the only specialist centre-back options. However, Gomez struggled with injury problems last term, while Konate has also had fitness issues over the last few years.
Slot used Wataru Endo in CB at times last season, while he has said that Ryan Gravenberch can provide cover in this area if needed. The Dutch boss even used Andy Robertson in the centre-back position following Leoni’s substitution vs the Saints.
So, it can be said that Liverpool lack options at the heart of defence and could do with buying a new defender in the upcoming winter window.
Meanwhile, Liverpool have started the season by winning seven consecutive games across all competitions. Now, they will face off against Crystal Palace in the Premier League this weekend.
