Arne Slot provides heartbreaking update on injured Liverpool star who faces A YEAR on the sidelines

With just 10 minutes from time, when attempting a tackle by the touchline, Leoni landed awkwardly followed by a scream of agony heard by nearby fans.

The £26million summer arrival from Parma required a stretcher along with a knee brace and even an oxygen mask amid very worrying scenes.

The club has since announced the nature of the injury to be that of an ACL, one that is most often season-ending.

And Slot today confirmed the severity of the injury, with Leoni now facing a race to get fit for the start of the 2026/27 campaign.

“Leoni tore his ACL, so he will be out for around a year,” Slot revealed. “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.”

Directly after the game, Slot had described Leoni’s debut performance as "great”, marking the injury as all the more devastating for the player and club.

The boss was quick to remind supporters, though, that players had suffered similar injuries and returned to full fitness, noting that an injury at an earlier stage of a career could be preferable to one towards the end.

“We have some examples with Virgil [van Dijk] and Joe [Gomez] and a lot of examples all over the world [of players returning to full fitness after such injury].

“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.

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“Our players have shown plenty of compassion for him and they will not stop.”

Skipper Van Dijk’s injury was particularly notable. The Dutch defender was clattered into by Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford during the 2020 edition of the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.

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The 34-year-old suffered the ACL injury in October and missed the rest of the campaign that saw the Reds finish third.

Leoni’s injury creates a significant challenge for Liverpool's defensive options, leaving Slot with just three recognised senior centre-backs in Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez.

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Both Konate and Gomez have experienced injury problems in recent seasons, heightening concerns about squad depth.

For Federico Chiesa, however, the injury means he has the chance to prove himself on the European stage, with the Reds given the opportunity to register one additional player.

The Italian has impressed this season when coming off the bench in particular, scoring a terrific late scissor-kick effort against Bournemouth on the opening day to secure three points.

The 27-year-old also provided two crucial assists during Liverpool’s Carabao Cup victory over Southampton, prompting praise from his manager.

"I think that's what you want to see," Slot said, highlighting Chiesa's work rate and involvement. "It wasn't a coincidence again that he was the man that made a deep run."

The former Juventus player has struggled since arriving on Merseyside but has shown improved form when given additional minutes this campaign.