Arne Slot confirms details of Giovanni Leoni injury
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Image Credits: Imago ImagesWhen Giovanni Leoni stepped onto the Anfield turf against Southampton in Liverpool’s 2-1 Carabao Cup victory on September 24th, everything seemed perfectly aligned for the Italian wonderkid.
The £26 million summer signing from Parma had impressed throughout the match, winning three aerial duels and making three interceptions – more than any other Liverpool player that night.
He completed 88 accurate passes, second only to Joe Gomez’s 98, and made six clearances, joint-highest in the team.
For 81 minutes, Leoni showcased exactly why Liverpool had fought off interest from Newcastle, Inter Milan, AC Milan, and Juventus to secure his signature.
His calmness on the ball, ability to read the game, and commanding presence in the air demonstrated why he had earned his first senior Italy call-up just weeks earlier.
However, in the 81st minute, during what appeared to be a routine challenge near the touchline, Leoni’s left leg caught awkwardly.
The teenager immediately collapsed to the ground, his anguish visible to everyone inside Anfield.
It then emerged that Leoni had suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
The injury, one of the most severe a footballer can endure, typically requires nine to twelve months of recovery.
For the teenager who had waited so long for this moment, the diagnosis meant his debut would likely be his only appearance of the season.
Now Arne Slot has commented on the injury, saying in his pre-Crystal Palace press conference:
“Leoni tore his ACL, so he will be out for around a year.
New club, new country, playing so well in your first game, there are no positives, but he is still so young but he has so many years left to come after such a terrible injury.”
When quizzed on whether Guehi’s transfer miss is now even more apparent, Slot said:
“I don’t think 1 day before we play Palace to talk about Guehi again, he is a Palace player and very important for them, we prepare for Palace, not lost for 17 games in a row, so difficult team to beat but so are we, we beat them 1-0 and twice it was a draw.”
“I have enough options to replace a player in the centre-back position?
Virgil, Ibou and Joe.”
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