Napoli injury blow as Luca Marianucci suffers serious MCL damage in Celta Vigo friendly

Napoli's pre-season preparations under new head coach Massimiliano Allegri have been dealt a severe blow after Marianucci suffered a serious left knee injury. The 22-year-old centre-back was forced off just 25 minutes after coming on as a substitute during last weekend's 1-1 friendly draw against Celta Vigo. Diagnostic tests have confirmed significant ligament damage, which is likely to sideline him for a prolonged period.

The club officially confirmed the severity of the defender's injury following a series of diagnostic tests at a local hospital.

An official medical statement released by Napoli management detailed the defender's condition: "Following the knee contusion and sprain suffered during the friendly match against Celta Vigo, Luca Marianucci underwent diagnostic tests at the Pineta Grande Hospital, which revealed a high-grade medial collateral ligament injury to the left knee."

The setback comes as a huge blow to Marianucci, who was attempting to break into the Partenopei's first-team setup after spending the second half of last season on loan at Torino. The towering defender has made just two appearances for Napoli since joining from Empoli in 2025. Marianucci's absence limits Allegri's defensive options as he looks to establish a solid backline ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.

Napoli's medical staff will closely monitor Marianucci's recovery to determine whether surgery or conservative rehabilitation is required. Meanwhile, Allegri must reshuffle his defensive options ahead of their Serie A opener against Genoa on August 22. The test continues eight days later when Partenopei host Como in their first home fixture of the season at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.