Arne Slot provides Giovanni Leoni update as injury analyst outlines worrying verdict | OneFootball

Giovanni Leoni was enjoying a hugely impressive Liverpool debut on Tuesday night, only for it to end abruptly in worrying circumstances.

The 18-year-old was named in the starting XI for the first time as the Reds took on Southampton in the Carabao Cup, and he gave an excellent account of himself at Anfield, with the Liverpool Echo‘s Paul Gorst writing that the Italian ‘looks a huge prospect’ and ‘didn’t put a foot wrong’ on the night.

Sadly, he had to be substituted with 10 minutes remaining after landing awkwardly following a challenge on the touchline, and he’s now left with a nervous wait for the results of a scan to determine the severity of the problem.

What did Arne Slot say about Leoni injury?

Speaking about Leoni in his post-match press conference, Arne Slot said (via liverpoolfc.com): “Of course, he is down because for him it didn’t feel good immediately, but this is something now we have to assess.

“Normally these things don’t happen in five to 10 minutes and you have to wait for tomorrow to see how he comes in and then maybe do an MRI scan to know more about how serious it is.

“Normally the emotions of a player tell you a lot. I saw during the weekend a player in the Dutch Eredivisie who went out completely in tears – Ruben van Bommel, by the way, of PSV – and a day later it proved to be that it was right. Let’s hope for the best.”

(Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

Injury analyst @physioscout on X provided an objective assessment after the match, outlining that the ‘extremely limited video’ makes it difficult to judge, but the ‘knee collapsing in and pivoting nature’ could be ‘suspicious of an ACL injury’.

They added that Leoni could be back within a week if the scan reveals nothing more than bruising, but a meniscus issue could sideline him for three to four months, and an ACL would end his season.

Fingers crossed it isn’t a serious injury for Leoni

Slot’s immediate assessment had an ominous tone, and his citation of Van Bommel’s devastating blow doesn’t seem encouraging.

The observations of the injury analyst also hint at the possibility of the worst-case scenario, noting that the physios ‘seemed to have readied Leoni in a position to do a Lachmann’s test – to test for an ACL rupture’.

If that nightmare situation comes to pass, it’d be heartbreaking for the youngster, who looked so promising on his Liverpool debut and could now have his season cut short after only one appearance.

For now, we must await the scan results and pray that they reveal nothing more than minor damage to the 18-year-old’s knee, and that he’ll soon have the opportunity to build upon his excellent outing last night before fate’s cruel intervention.