Arne Slot admits long-term absence as Reds eye Champions League adjustment | OneFootball

Liverpool have been handed a difficult setback ahead of their Premier League clash with Crystal Palace as Arne Slot confirmed a serious injury for summer signing Giovanni Leoni, while also discussing a possible Champions League squad alteration.

Giovanni Leoni injury update from Arne Slot

(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

As reported by liverpoolfc.com, the teenage centre-back’s debut was cut short in the 2-1 Carabao Cup win over Southampton.

The Italian defender landed awkwardly on the touchline in the 81st minute and required assistance to leave the pitch.

Speaking at the AXA Training Centre before the weekend trip to Selhurst Park, the Dutchman confirmed the worst fears about the 18-year-old’s condition.

“He is not in a good place, of course, because he tore his ACL and it means he will be out for a year,” the Liverpool boss explained.

“Being so young and coming to a new country and playing so well in your first game… it’s very hard to take the positive side.

“There’s never a positive side – but you always try to look at one, and that is that he is still so young, so he has so many years still to go after he recovers.”

The setback means supporters will have to wait until next season to see more of the highly rated centre-back, who was signed from Parma during the summer window.

Chiesa could replace Leoni in Champions League squad

(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Attention then turned to Europe, with Leoni’s space now available to be filled ahead of Liverpool travelling to Turkey to face Galatasaray on Tuesday night.

Slot confirmed that Federico Chiesa, who was not originally named in the Reds’ ‘List A’, could now be registered following UEFA’s rule that allows replacements in the case of long-term injuries.

“We’ve looked into this,” he said. “If a player has a longer than two-month injury, you are able to replace him. That’s what they’ve told me and now we have to see if it’s true or not.”

The boss was impressed with our No.14 after the performance against Southampton and he’s been impressive with both form and effort for the entire campaign.

The Italian forward has already shown glimpses of his quality since arriving on Merseyside, and being available in Europe would be a significant boost for the 2024/25 Premier League champions.

The former Juventus man has high standards for himself and the team, as he mentioned on Tuesday night, making him a valuable addition to the squad.

The news of Leoni’s long-term absence is a huge disappointment, but the potential inclusion of Chiesa could offer the Reds an extra dimension as we continue our Champions League journey.

You can watch Slot’s full pre-Palace press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:

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