Liverpool defender Giovanni Leoni is out for “about 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 around 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.”