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Liverpool's squad have rallied around their teammate Giovanni Leoni following the confirmation of a severe knee injury. The defender suffered the injury during the final moments of his debut in the Carabao Cup match against Southampton on Tuesday night.
He was taken off the pitch on a stretcher, and Arne Slot conceded that the injury appeared serious. On Wednesday, it was reported that he has sustained a significant knee injury, which could result in a prolonged absence from the pitch.
Reacting to the news, the 18-year-old released a statement on social media. "I want to sincerely thank every single person who has shown me support in this difficult moment," he posted on Instagram.
"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!".
His Liverpool teammates were quick to show their support in response to his post. Fellow new signing Florian Wirtz commented: "You'll come back stronger," accompanied by a 100 and red heart emoji.
Alexander Isak, who netted his first goal for the Reds midweek, replied with a red heart and bicep emoji. Jayden Danns, Conor Bradley, Ibrahim Konate, Andy Robertson, Stefan Bajcetic and Liverpool's official account also posted red heart emojis.
Club captain Virgil van Dijk responded with a red heart, a bicep, and a fist pump emoji. Rio Ngumoha replied with two praying and one red heart emoji.
Several individuals expressed their support by 'liking' the post, including Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong, Alisson, Milos Kerkez, Giorgi Mamardashvili and Wataru Endo.
Liverpool have yet to provide a timeline for Leoni's injury and recovery. However, it is believed that the medical team are concerned about the severity of the injury, with his absence likely to span several months rather than weeks.
An update from Slot is expected during his press conference on Friday morning.
This leaves Liverpool with just three fit senior center-backs to select from for their Premier League match against Crystal Palace on Saturday. The Reds will make their way to Selhurst Park.
Speaking after the win over Southampton, Slot said: "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."
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