One of Liverpool's summer acquisitions has been dealt a major setback just over a month after joining the Premier League club.
New centre-back Giovanni Leoni is set to spend a lengthy period on the sidelines after coming off injured in his side's 2-1 win over Southampton in the Carabao Cup third round on Wednesday night (September 23).
The 18-year-old was making his debut for Liverpool after joining from Serie A side Parma for an initial fee of £26m in August.
Per Fabrizio Romano, the Italian has unfortunately suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear in his left knee.
Leoni is now set to miss several months of action and faces a tough race to be back for Arne Slot's team before the end of the season.
🚨⚠️ Liverpool centre back Giovanni Leoni has torn his ACL and will be out for several months.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 24, 2025
After excellent debut in League Cup last night with also Arne Slot very happy, an unlucky injury for Leoni who will try to be back before the end of the season. pic.twitter.com/TWFvj5jKfY
The setback for the young defender is a massive shame as he had put in a very impressive display on his first start in a red shirt.
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The cause of the injury was a freak accident, as it involved Leoni simply challenging for the ball near the touchline in the late stages of the game at Anfield.
Many inside the stadium would have felt the seriousness of the situation, as the Italian had to be stretchered off the pitch, with Milos Kerkez making way for him.
Injury a big blow for Liverpool moving forward
This long-term injury to Leoni weakens Liverpool's depth at centre-back significantly for the remainder of the season.
Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez are now the only real options Slot has in the middle of the defence.
The only other centre-back at the club is Rhys Williams, who has not featured for The Reds since the 2020/21 campaign.
Even in the scenario that Leoni makes it back to full fitness before the season closes, it is unlikely the club would rush back a young player from such a serious injury.
Hence, the Premier League holders could now be tempted to go back in for Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi, after a move for the English centre-back collapsed on the final day of the summer transfer window.
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