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Romano confirms Liverpool replacement after Leoni ACL injury
News
Fabrizio Romano has confirmed Liverpool's replacement for Giovanni Leoni.
Giovanni Leoni's season is almost certainly over after the 18 year-old Italian centre-back was substituted off with an injury after 81 minutes of his debut in Liverpool's Carabao Cup fifth round win over Southampton.
Fabrizio Romano was among the first to report that Leoni had ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and would be out for several months. And the Italian broadcaster has now also revealed who his replacement will be in Liverpool's Champions League squad.
Current ETV
Federico Chiesa
F (CR)
Liverpool U21
Federico Chiesa
F (CR)
Liverpool U21
ETV Range
€14.7M - €17.9M
According to a tweet from Romano, Leoni's compatriot Federico Chiesa will be included in LIverpool's UCL squad as Leoni will be deregistered due to his long-term injury.
Chiesa's second chance
Chiesa was originally left out of Liverpool's 22-man "List A" squad for the Champions League, with his spot being taken by Rio Ngumoha.
Now Leoni's injury gives Chiesa a second chance, as under new UEFA regulations, clubs are allowed to make one change to their squad in event of a player being absent for 60 days or more due to illness or injury.
Leoni's absence will sadly stretch well beyond that limit, and so one would have expected the Reds to use this new rule to register Chiesa and bolster their attacking options, something Romano has now confirmed.
The Reds will certainly feel Leoni's absence, given how assured the teenager had looked during his debut against Southampton (and that was without Virgil van Dijk at his side). During the game Andrew Robertson was drafted in to play centre-back but one would expect Arne Slot to come up with a more permanent solution to fill the role.
Fans on social media have expressed their sadness while also showing support for Leoni, with many pointing out that two of Leoni's team-mates have recent experience coming back from ACL injuries.
Current ETV
Giovanni Leoni
D (CR)
Liverpool
Giovanni Leoni
D (CR)
Liverpool
ETV Range
€22.9M - €27.9M
Virgil van Dijk, Florian Wirtz and, yes, Federico Chiesa have suffered ACL tears before and both have returned - in Van Dijk and Wirtz's case to something their best level (or close to it) - so Leoni will have superb mentors and inspirations for him to make his own recovery.
"I want to sincerely thank every single person who has shown me support in this difficult moment," Leoni has said in an Instagram post following the injury.
"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!"
