New Liverpool signing Giovanni Leoni is set to spend ‘several months’ on the sidelines after tearing his ACL during his LFC debut.

The 18-year-old made his debut against Southampton in the EFL Cup on Tuesday night, playing 81 minutes of Liverpool’s 2-1 win.

The Italian was then subbed off with an injury, which Fabrizio Romano is reporting as an ACL tear. The injury will see him miss out on a large part of the season, potentially all of it.

Leoni impressed in his first game since joining the Reds from Parma in the summer for £26million. He managed a passing accuracy of 97% becoming the most accurate passer on the pitch to play more than 45 minutes. He also won all of his aerial duels and looked like a mature part of the Liverpool defence.

The injury will be a major setback for Giovanni Leoni, who has only just arrived in the Premier League and would’ve been keen to settle in with more minutes in the tank.

However, he does have plenty of experienced players to learn from. Virgil Van Dijk also suffered an ACL injury in 2020-21 but has recovered well, rediscovering his form as one of the best in the world.

Liverpool’s defensive woes

Giovanni Leoni’s injury may have just created a defensive headache for Arne Slot.

The Reds have kept just one clean sheet so far this season, in their 1-0 win over Arsenal, and have struggled to hold onto leads in games.

Without Leoni, the Reds have just three senior centre-backs available: Virgil Van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and the injury-prone Joe Gomez. The departure of Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen has also left the Reds without defensive cover at the back, and the injury to Leoni could leave Liverpool struggling to maintain their campaign to retain their Premier League title.

However, midfielder Waturu Endo and 24-year-old Rhys Williams could be expected to fill in.

Arne Slot may also be reflecting on Liverpool’s failure to sign Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi on deadline day. The English international was denied a move to Liverpool after his current club couldn’t find a suitable replacement in time to let him complete the move.

Having Guehi at the club would’ve alleviated the pressure on Liverpool’s defence caused by not having fit alternatives on the bench.

The Reds are rumoured to be confident of tying Guehi down next summer following the expiration of his contract, but they may face challenges from European giants like Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, who can approach Guehi in January.