Leoni Out Year After ACL; Chiesa Added

Liverpool manager Arne Slot confirmed 18-year-old Giovanni Leoni tore his anterior cruciate ligament on his debut against Southampton and is expected to be sidelined for around a year. Leoni, who joined from Parma in a deal worth about £26 million, was stretchered off after 81 minutes of the Carabao Cup tie and the club confirmed knee ligament damage. Slot said the teenager is understandably struggling but stressed he is young and Liverpool will prioritise surgery and rehabilitation, citing examples like Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez of players returning strongly. The injury leaves limited senior centre-back cover behind Virgil van Dijk, with Ibrahima Konaté the other senior option, and has prompted Liverpool to use new UEFA rules to replace Leoni in their Champions League squad. Federico Chiesa has been called up as that replacement, and Leoni has thanked supporters on social media as he begins a long recovery.