Defender’s injury could see Federico Chiesa included in the club’s Champions League squad
Liverpool have confirmed that defender Giovanni Leoni will miss the remainder of the season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in the win over Southampton.
The 18-year-old was carried off during his debut on Sunday, and scans this week revealed the extent of the damage. Manager Arne Slot described the news as “very hard to take” given the teenager’s promising start.
“He tore his ACL, which means he will be out for around a year,” Slot said on Friday. “Being so young, coming to a new country and playing so well in your first game, it’s very tough. There are never positives in a situation like this, but the only comfort is that he has so many years ahead of him once he recovers.”
Leoni’s absence could prompt Liverpool to make changes to their Champions League squad. Slot confirmed that the club are exploring the option of replacing him with Federico Chiesa, who was initially excluded from the 22-man list.
“If a player has an injury longer than two months, you are able to replace him,” Liverpool’s head coach explained. “Now we need to see if that is the case here. Other people at the club are working on it.”
The injury is also likely to intensify speculation over a January move for Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi, whose proposed transfer to Liverpool collapsed on deadline day.
