Liverpool manager Arne Slot has listed the timeline for luckless £26million signing Giovanni Leoni’s return from injury after confirming he has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear.

Leoni, 18, signed for from Parma this summer but left the field on a stretcher at Anfield 81 minutes into his debut in the Carabao Cup this week.

Slot had described the new signing’s first performance as ‘great’ – but after news of his ACL injury was confirmed this week, it was left to the Liverpool boss to reveal a further disheartening update on Friday.

‘Leoni tore his ACL,’ Slot said. ‘So he will be out for around a year. New club, new country, playing so well in your first game, there are no positives… But he is still so young but he has so many years left to come after such a terrible injury.’

The injury has handed Leoni’s countryman Federico Chiesa a Champions League reprieve, though.

Reds cult hero Chiesa was left out of Liverpool’s European squad for the first half of the season but now, with a change of UEFA rules, is back in.

+2
View gallery

Giovanni Leoni left the field on a stretcher at Anfield 81 minutes into his debut on Tuesday

+2
View gallery

Arne Slot says Leoni is likely to be out for an entire year during his recovery from injury

The European football governing body announced two weeks ago that clubs will be allowed to include a ‘temporary’ replacement if one of their outfield players suffers a ‘long-term injury or illness’.

Liverpool have now made the move to register forward Chiesa, 27, for the Champions League.

On Leoni, Slot today added: ‘We have some examples with Virgil (van Dijk) and Joe (Gomez) and a lot example all over the world (of players returning better than before).

‘It hurts more if you are closer to retirement but it’s far from ideal. The surgeons and the rehab people are important but it’s nice if you can do this with players around who have lived through this and they can give the right energy in the right moments.

‘Our players have shown plenty of compassion for him and they will not stop.’

Slot was also keen to stress that his squad retains enough options to deal with the loss of the young centre.

The Reds are hopeful of going deep in all four competitions this season and having failed to sign Crystal Palace captain Marc Geuhi in the summer, the Dutchman has been left with just three natural central defenders until the January window.

Slot added: ‘We have more than enough options to replace, if needed, a player at the centre-back position because of course we have Virgil, Joe and Ibou (Konate) and other options if needed.