Liverpool defender Leoni out for 'around a year' after cruciate ligament tear

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has confirmed Giovanni Leoni faces 'around a year out' with a torn cruciate ligament in his left knee.

The centre-back suffered the injury making his Liverpool debut in Tuesday's Carabao Cup win over Southampton.

Leoni was stretchered off in the 78th minute with his left knee strapped up, having impressed on his first appearance since signing from Parma in the summer for £26m.

Speaking to press on Friday, Slot said: "The first thing is he's not in a good place of course, because he tore his ACL so he will be out for around a year.

"Being so young, coming to a new country, playing so well in your first game. It's so hard to take the positive side - there's never a positive side - but a positive side is he's so young.

"He has so many years still to go after he recovers from a terrible injury like that."

Quizzed further as to whether he regrets not signing Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi after Leoni's injury, Slot said:

"I don't think - one day before we play them - I want to talk about that again.

"He's a Crystal Palace player, he's been very important for them there. We have to prepare for Crystal Palace who's a very good team, they haven't lost for 17 games now and he's a big part of that team.

"We have Virgil [Van Dijk], Joe [Gomez] and Ibou [Konate] and other options."

Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez are now Slot's only recognised fit centre-back options.

Leoni has pledged to return as soon as possible. "I want to sincerely thank every single person who has shown me support in this difficult moment," he wrote on Instagram.

"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!"

Does Slot now have a problem in defence?

Sky Sports' Zinny Boswell:

"Liverpool were already a defender light after Palace pulled the plug on their deal to sign Marc Guehi on deadline day and the reaction from Leoni as he came off in the 81st minute suggested he was in some pain and it could turn out to be an issue for Slot.

"With Leoni out for an extended period it leaves Gomez as the only senior option to back up starting centre-back pairing Van Dijk and Konate.

"Liverpool academy graduate Rhys Williams, who was on loan at League Two Morecambe in Slot's first season, was an unused substitute on the bench against Southampton and could be another option at centre-back."