Giovanni Leoni debut vs Southampton Calm on the ball and kept things simple at the back Hope his injury wasn’t serious

Arne Slot confirmed Giovanni Leoni will require further assessment on the injury that forced him from the field in Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Southampton on Tuesday night.

The 18-year-old had a promising debut for the Reds cut short in the Carabao Cup third-round tie after 81 minutes having landed awkwardly following a challenge on the touchline.

Isak and Ekitike strike as Liverpool see off Southampton in Carabao Cup

Leoni will now be examined by the club’s medical team to determine the severity of the issue.

“Of course, he is down because for him it didn’t feel good immediately, but this is something now we have to assess,” Slot told his post-match press conference at Anfield.

“Normally these things don’t happen in five to 10 minutes and you have to wait for tomorrow to see how he comes in and then maybe do an MRI scan to know more about how serious it is.

“Normally the emotions of a player tell you a lot. I saw during the weekend a player in the Dutch Eredivisie who went out completely in tears – Ruben van Bommel, by the way, of PSV – and a day later it proved to be that it was right.

“Let’s hope for the best.”

Giovanni Leoni had to come off with a knee injury in the second half of the Liverpool vs. Southampton clash.

Extremely limited video makes this harder to judge, but I’d be worried that his knee falls into a valgus position in this screenshot.

Non-contact nature, knee collapsing in and pivoting nature make me suspicious of an ACL injury. However, this is harder to call due to the live broadcast not showing a clearer replay of it.

Potential Recovery Time:

If ACL: 9+ months

If meniscus: ~3-4 months (varies)

If bone/bruise: <1 week

Physios seemed to have readied Leoni in a position to do a Lachmann’s test – to test for an ACL rupture. Scans will be needed to determine the extent of the injury.

Arne Slot added: ‘If a player goes off like that, it is normally not a good sign.’

If you have any further videos, or alternate replay angles, please send them over via DM and I’ll be happy to confirm/update my analysis.