Horrific luck costs Liverpool star a STARTING role

Giovanni Leoni's missed opportunity

Liverpool signed Giovanni Leoni in the summer from Parma for a sizeable fee. They were willing to invest big money in the teenager, believing he could be the future of their defence.

Well, there's a chance he'd currently be the present. Ibrahima Konate's performances continue to disappoint, with mistakes leading to goals in each of his last two outings.

It's very, very easy to link his efforts to the fact his contract expires at the end of the season. Real Madrid are interested and everyone can reasonably question if his head has been turned.

But he can't really drop out of the team. Joe Gomez isn't fit, with Arne Slot admitting that the defender had injections in his knee recently.

Leoni would almost certainly be there to play if he hadn't suffered that horrendous injury on his debut. What a debut it was, too - the Italian was magnificent at the back, looking as composed as they come.

And we imagine that composure would have led to some big-game starts if he were fit. The sole reason he's not getting opportunities over Konate is because he's not available.

It's a real blow. Not just for Leoni but for the team as he'd offer a potential bright spark as a major young talent with genuine star potential.