It has been an absolutely phenomenal start for Liverpool, sealing five consecutive wins in the Premier League and placing themselves at the top of the table. However, nothing goes smoothly forever in football, or in life, as injuries often play a role in obstructing an easy sail.
Despite the winning streak, the Reds suffered a major setback in their League Cup match against Southampton. Giovanni Leoni, on his debut, tore his ACL.
As reported by Fabrizio Romano, Leoni has torn his ACL. As a result, the defender is set to be out for several months. He will try to be back before the end of the season.
The 18-year-old was signed by Liverpool in the summer after his brilliant performances for Parma, and he was starting to make a positive impression already, before this unfortunate setback.
Liverpool player suffers serious ACL injury and ruled out for months
Liverpool, however, have faced recurring injury problems with key players over the years. So, this is not an unfamiliar situation to them.
Interchanging roles could be less than ideal, but the Reds have past experience in coping with such situations. Arne Slot’s squad, fortunately, has enough quality and depth to provide alternatives when required.
It now remains to be seen how strongly Leoni can recover to secure his future as one of Liverpool’s rising talents, or if he will continue to struggle with injuries post-recovery every now and then.
Then again, there have been those who have suffered serious injuries early in their careers and bounced back well. Let’s hope Leoni does the same.
However, it will be quite intriguing to see what adjustments Slot makes in his plans. The youngster was never expected to be a regular starter for Liverpool, but he surely would have gotten his fair share of minutes over the course of the season.
Ankan Bhowmick