Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has confirmed that Giovanni Leoni faces around a year on the sidelines after suffering a devastating anterior cruciate ligament injury in midweek with Federico Chiesa now set to take his place in the club’s Champions League squad.
Giovanni Leoni’s Liverpool career had barely begun before it was thrown into turmoil. The 18-year-old defender, signed from Parma for £26 million in the summer, had impressed in his debut against Southampton in the Carabao Cup composed, aggressive, showing exactly why Liverpool had moved quickly to secure him.
Then came the moment that changed everything. Late in Tuesday night’s 2-1 victory at Anfield, Leoni went down, clutching his knee. The sight of him leaving the pitch on a stretcher was an ominous one. By Friday, Arne Slot confirmed the worst: a torn anterior cruciate ligament, ruling him out for “around a year.”
“He is not in a good place because he tore his ACL which means he will be out around a year,” Slot said. “Being so young and coming to a new country and playing so well in your first game, it’s very hard to take the positives. There is never a positive side but you try to look at that, and that is that he is still so young and he has so many years still to go after he recovers from a terrible injury.”
For Liverpool supporters, there is a grim sense of déjà vu. Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez both endured long layoffs with ACL injuries, only to return and re-establish themselves. That experience, Slot believes, will be crucial for Leoni.
“We have some examples with Virgil and Joe and a lot [of] examples all over the world [of players coming back better],” he said. “It hurts more if you are closer to retirement but it’s far from ideal. The surgeons and the rehab people are important but it’s nice if you can do this with players around who have lived through this and they can give the right energy in the right moments. Our players have shown plenty of compassion for him and they will not stop.”
The injury leaves Slot with just three recognised centre-backs Van Dijk, Ibrahima Konaté and Gomez for Saturday’s trip to Crystal Palace. Yet he insisted he has “enough options” to cover the absence.
It also reopens the debate over Liverpool’s failed summer pursuit of Marc Guehi. The Reds pushed to sign the England international on deadline day, only for Palace to walk away when they were unable to source a replacement.
“I don’t think one day before we play Palace [is a good time] to talk about Guehi again,” Slot said firmly. “He is a Palace player and very important for them. We prepare for Palace, [who have] not lost for 17 games in a row. They are a difficult team to beat but so are we, we beat them 1-0 and twice it was a draw.”
If there is one small consolation, it comes from UEFA. A tweak to competition rules this season allows clubs to replace players suffering long-term injuries in their Champions League squads at any point before the knockout rounds begin.
Liverpool have already moved to take advantage of the change. Federico Chiesa, who was omitted from the initial ‘List A’, is now set to step in for Leoni. The Italy international offered a glimpse of what he could bring with two assists against Southampton in midweek.
Slot confirmed the plan, though he noted the administrative process was still being handled internally.
“Yeah, we’ve looked into this,” he said. “I cannot tell you exactly where that process is at the moment. That is not something I do myself, there are other people doing this. But if I’m informed correctly, if a player has a longer than two-month injury, you are able to replace him. That’s what they’ve told me and now we have to see if it’s true or not, but other people are looking into that.”
Should the paperwork be completed in time, Chiesa could feature as soon as Tuesday’s Champions League group fixture away to Galatasaray.
For Leoni, the road ahead will be long. But he has already shown maturity beyond his years in responding to the setback. Writing on Instagram earlier this week, he said:
“I want to sincerely thank every single person who has shown me support in this difficult moment. It wasn’t the debut I had always dreamed of, but I will give everything to be back playing in this magical stadium as soon as possible. Thank you so much“
The message struck a chord with Liverpool supporters, who have seen too many players over the years struck down by similar injuries. What gives hope is that Leoni is not alone in this both Van Dijk and Joe Gomez can testify to the darkness of rehabilitation and the light at the other end.
Slot summed it up best: “It’s very hard to take the positives. But he is still so young and he has so many years still to go after he recovers.”
