Liverpool suffers a painful blow.. Young defender Leoni injured with a torn cruciate ligament

The English club Liverpool received a huge shock after their promising defender Giovanni Leoni suffered a tear in the cruciate ligament of his left knee, which will keep him off the field for nearly a full year.

Reds manager Arne Slot confirmed on Friday that the young Italian player, who is 18 years old, will not return before next season, describing his absence as "a painful loss for the team".

The horrific injury came after Leoni played only 80 minutes in a Liverpool shirt, in the League Cup match against Southampton, where he fell awkwardly following a strong challenge.

Slot said in his press conference before the match against Crystal Palace in the league:
"It's a very difficult situation, especially since he is a young player who came from a new country and performed wonderfully in his first appearance. There is no positive side to such injuries, but he has a long future ahead after recovery".

With this injury, Liverpool is relying on only three main defenders until the winter transfer window: Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konaté, and Joe Gomez.