Giovanni Leoni suffered a potentially serious knee injury on his Liverpool debut in the Carabao Cup clash against Southampton, and has received an influx of support from Reds players
Liverpool players have rallied around team-mate Giovanni Leoni following confirmation he has suffered a serious knee injury. The defender sustained the problem in the final stages of his debut during the Carabao Cup victory with Southampton on Tuesday evening.
He was carried off on a stretcher, with Arne Slot conceding that the injury appeared severe. On Wednesday, it was confirmed he had sustained a significant knee injury and faces a lengthy period out of action. After the news broke, the 18 year old turned to social media to issue a statement.
“I want to sincerely thank every single person who has shown me support in this difficult moment,” he posted on Instagram.
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“It wasn’t the debut I had always dreamed of, but I will give everything to be back playing in this magical stadium as soon as possible. Thank you so much!”
Liverpool team-mates flooded the comments to offer their backing to the youngster. Fellow summer arrival Florian Wirtz posted: “You’ll come back stronger,” accompanied by a 100 and red heart emoji.
Alexander Isak, who netted his first Reds goal in the same game, replied with a red heart and bicep emoji.
Jayden Danns, Conor Bradley, Ibrahim Konate, Andy Robertson, Stefan Bajcetic and Liverpool’s official account also shared red heart emojis.
Club skipper Virgil van Dijk responded with a red heart, a bicep, and a fist pump emoji. Rio Ngumoha posted two praying and one red heart emoji.
Several of Leoni’s other team-mates and fellow players, including Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong, Alisson, Milos Kerkez, Giorgi Mamardashvili and Wataru Endo, showed their support by ‘liking’ the post.
Liverpool are yet to confirm the extent of Leoni’s injury or his recovery timeline, but it is believed that the medical team are bracing for a significant layoff, with the player expected to be sidelined for several months, rather than weeks.
An update on his condition is expected during Slot’s press conference on Friday morning.
The injury blow leaves Liverpool with just three fit senior centre-backs to choose from for their Premier League showdown against Crystal Palace on Saturday. The Reds will make their way to Selhurst Park for the 3pm kick-off.
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