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Giovanni Leoni’s injury comes as a big blow to both the player and Liverpool, especially at such an early stage of the season.
Having been stretchered off on his debut against Southampton on Tuesday, it seems as though the 18-year-old will face a lengthy spell out now, with reports claiming he has torn the cruciate ligament in his left knee.
That creates a major issue for Arne Slot, with the Liverpool boss now reduced to just three recognized center-backs in his first-team squad, and with Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup commitments to deal with, his side could be stretched over the next few months.
There is, of course, an opportunity for Slot and Richard Hughes to add to their squad, and potentially bring in a new defender to provide more cover in January, although that might require a change in approach from the club. Liverpool.com has taken a look at its options in the New Year…
Plan A - Wait and see
Before Leoni's injury, it was being widely reported that Liverpool was not planning on making a January move for Marc Guehi, despite missing out on the Crystal Palace defender on deadline day.
Whether that stance will change now remains to be seen, but as things stand, it does seem as though the Reds will wait to get their man for free next summer.
That would present quite the risk for Slot, meaning he would have to rely on Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez for the remainder of the season. Were any of those to pick up an injury, the Liverpool boss would have to fall back on his alternative options.
Andy Robertson, Milos Kerkez, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo would be the prime candidates to move into the center of defense should the worst happen, while the likes of Amara Nallo, Carter Pinnington and Wellity Lucky could be called up from the academy.
Plan B - Go early
Should Leoni's injury change Liverpool's stance, you would imagine that Guehi would be the first port of call. You can certainly understand why the Reds would favor waiting for him to become available for free, but signing him in January might not set them back too much.
Having originally had a $47 million deal agreed in the summer, you can guarantee that Liverpool would be able to drive that price down a lot further, with Palace not exactly in a strong position to negotiate.
But should the Eagles - or more likely, Oliver Glasner - stand firm, then there are other options that the Reds could turn to for a cut-price deal.
Like Guehi, Bayern Munich's Dayot Upamecano is set to become a free agent next summer, as is Barcelona's Eric Garcia, while someone like Union Berlin's Diogo Leite could be a wildcard option. Manchester City's John Stones is also in the last year of his contract, although we can't see that one happening.
Plan C - Splash the cash
The third, and probably the most unlikely option at this point, is for Liverpool to throw caution to the wind and go all out for a big name, potentially in the knowledge that Guehi will be added for free further down the line.
There have been some names touted for a move to Anfield recently, with speculation surrounding the likes of Ronald Araujo from Barcelona and Micky van de Ven from Tottenham.
Rest assured, neither of those players would come cheaply, especially with Araujo having only signed a contract extension to keep him at Barca until 2031, and Van de Ven under contract at Spurs until 2029.
This would surely be the last resort for Liverpool, and would probably only be visited were Van Dijk to face a spell out, such is his importance. Whatever happens between now and January though, Leoni's injury leaves the Reds with a big call to make ahead of the next transfer window.
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