Giovani Leoni recovery timeline emerges as Liverpool receives worst news possible
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Giovanni Leoni looks to be facing months out through injury, with reports in Italy claiming the defender has torn his cruciate ligament.
Leoni had to be stretchered off during Liverpool’s Carabao Cup tie against Southampton on Tuesday, having been handed his debut for the club that night by Arne Slot following his summer transfer from Parma.
The 18-year-old looked to have had his knee strapped up as he was carried down the tunnel, and Slot didn’t sound confident when asked for an update on the severity of the injury after the Reds had booked their place in the fourth round with a 2-1 victory.
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"Of course, he is down because for him it didn’t feel good immediately, but this is something now we have to assess," Slot said during his post-match press conference at Anfield.
"Normally, these things don’t happen in five to 10 minutes, and you have to wait for tomorrow to see how he comes in and then maybe do an MRI scan to know more about how serious it is.”
Subsequent reports have suggested that it is bad news for Leoni and Liverpool, with Sky in Italy (as per Sky Sports) claiming that the teenager now faces months out with a torn cruciate ligament in his left knee.
If that is the case, it is highly likely that Leoni could miss the remainder of the season, which would come as a major blow to both the player and his club.
Liverpool will now be left with just three recognized center-backs in Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez, with the next opportunity to add to the squad coming in the January transfer window.
Whether Leoni’s injury will change the club’s stance ahead of that window remains to be seen
Recent reports have suggested Liverpool will not make a move for Marc Guehi in January following the collapse of his transfer on deadline day during the summer, instead choosing to wait until he becomes a free agent at the end of the season.
Even though we've only had a glimpse of him in action so far, there were promising signs last night, so it is a huge disappointment that we will likely have to wait until next season now to see him back in action.
For the Reds, a serious discussion will have to take place on whether this changes their January transfer plans
Up until now, it seemed as though there would be no plans to dip into the market in the New Year, with a potential deal for Guehi waiting until the summer.
Relying on Konate and Gomez in particular to stay fit feels like a big gamble, so even if Palace isn't willing to let Guehi go in January, it does feel as though Liverpool needs to find another center-back.