Injured Liverpool star shares a message of gratitude to the fans after impressive debut ended badly

Liverpool star Giovanni Leoni shares a message of gratitude towards the fanbase after his Southampton debut ended with an injury. Leoni made a promising debut, but it ended prematurely in the 81st minute when she landed poorly after a challenge.

Liverpool signed the 18-year-old from Parma for a fee of £26m during the summer transfer window to bolster their defence. The Reds have already faced a lot of criticism for overlooking their defensive department after selling their defender Jarell Quansah.

At the moment, Liverpool have Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate as the preferred first-choice defenders for the senior team. Leoni’s centerback partner against the Saints, Joe Gomez, is the only natural option for the senior team after his injury. Apart from Gomez, Liverpool boss Arne Slot could deploy defensive midfielder Wataru Endo as a makeshift centerback in any emergency.

According to Sky Sports, Leoni suffered a torn cruciate ligament injury and faces months on the sidelines at the moment. The situation has the fans very concerned, as they understand the gravity of torn ligament injuries in a professional player.

However, Leoni’s young age will hopefully help him make a quick recovery and will not hamper the development of his immense talent. Leoni used his Instagram account to send a sincere message of gratitude to the Liverpool fans amid his serious injury against Southampton. He said:

 “I want to sincerely thank every single person who has shown me support in this difficult moment. 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!”

The 18-year-old impressed both the fans and the football experts with his maturity and composure during his debut. According to Fotmob, Leoni made the most accurate passes with 97% passing accuracy in the game between Liverpool and Southampton.

The 18-year-old took 102 touches and made four passes into the final third while winning one ground duel and all of his aerial duels (three). Furthermore, the young Italian made one tackle, six clearances, three interceptions, and three recoveries, along with four clearances through headers.

Leoni’s ability to organise the defence and confidently cover the attacking fullback, Jeremie Frimpong, provided a glimpse of his qualities.