Liverpool pair offer HOPE as Giovanni Leoni injury nightmare confirmed | OneFootball

Giovanni Leoni has had confirmation of a terrible injury. Two Liverpool stars do offer hope, though.

Giovanni Leoni had a fantastic debut for Liverpool on Tuesday evening as he ran the defence against Southampton. The teenager looked brilliant and exactly like the wonderkid centre-back Liverpool thought they'd signed.

However, the debut ended in disaster as Leoni suffered a bad knee injury. He left the pitch on the stretcher in the second half, his leg fixed in place and his head in his hands.

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It's now been confirmed that Leoni has indeed suffered an ACL tear. The 18-year-old will now be out for 'several months' as he rehabilitates the injury and there's not going to be a clear timetable on a return.

In truth, it may well be that Liverpool decide Leoni sits this season out. There's no real need to take a chance on an injury to a teenager like this - not when he's got his whole career ahead of him.

This is a major setback, then, on what should have been an incredibly promising night. The good news, however, is that Leoni has the perfect players around him to thrive after this.

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Giovanni Leoni's knee injury

Leoni is at Liverpool with a group of centre-backs who know exactly what he's going through. One of them, in Joe Gomez, knows far too well.

Gomez also suffered a serious knee injury as a teenager shortly after joining Liverpool. It was in Jurgen Klopp's first training session as manager, in fact, and we wouldn't see the defender for around a year.

But he did bounce back from that one, eventually. It was an incredibly difficult road but Gomez would be a starting centre-back for Liverpool in the 2019/20 season as they won the Premier League title in dominant fashion.

Unfortunately, that wasn't Gomez's last knee injury - he suffered an even worse one in 2020 that threatened his career. But once again, he's come back and played a role for Liverpool and remains their longest-serving player.

Virgil van Dijk, too, suffered a serious knee injury in 2020. The fact he moved past that to return to his previous form as the world's best centre-back has been extraordinary - and it's exactly the kind of experience that will help Leoni.

He's surrounded by defenders who have been through this. They've got the knowledge and, more importantly, the proof to help him come out the other side of it in good condition.

Even Ibrahima Konate, while not a knee injury, suffered major problems at RB Leipzig. He's overcome them to be one of the world's best defenders.

Once again, stories like this, from players directly around him, can only encourage Leoni. This is a setback but that's all. He can return stronger, both physically and mentally.

His teammates are proof of that.