Liverpool defender Giovanni Leoni is out for a year after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament, manager Arne Slot says.
The 18-year-old sustained the injury on his debut against Southampton in the Carabao Cup third round on Tuesday.
Leoni joined the Reds in August from Parma for a fee of £26m plus add-ons.
“He is not in a good place because he tore his ACL which means he will be out for a year,” said Slot.
“Being so young and coming to a new country and playing so well in your first game, it’s very hard to take the positives.
“There is never a positive side but you try to look at that, and that is he is still so young and he has so many years still go to after he recovers from a terrible injury.”
The injury leaves Slot with just three recognised centre-backs in Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez.
Liverpool have added forward Federico Chiesa to their Champions League squad in place of Leoni.
Slot’s side have won all five Premier League matches so far this season in defence of their title.
They face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday.
