Liverpool: Giovanni Leoni’s injury more serious than expected

17.10.26 10:00 English Premier League

Brentford

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Liverpool

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Giovanni Leoni’s return to Liverpool has once again been delayed. The 19-year-old Italian defender, who suffered a serious knee injury on his debut for the Reds in September 2025, is still not ready to resume training with the squad.

An injury affecting several structures in the knee

Having arrived from Parma in the summer of 2025 for a fee estimated at €30 million, Giovanni Leoni was injured on September 23, 2025, during a League Cup match against Southampton. That game remains his only appearance for Liverpool to date. While a return to group training had initially been envisaged during the last international break, the timeline has been pushed back by around a month:

It is taking longer than we had hoped. He was supposed to train with the group during the last international break, but we will probably have to wait until the next one. So we have lost around a month.

Andoni Iraola also clarified the nature of the injury:

I wasn’t at the club at the time, but after speaking with the medical staff, I know it was not just a torn anterior cruciate ligament. It was a serious injury that affected several structures in the knee, not just the ligament.

Liverpool refuse to rush his return

The medical staff are now prioritising caution. The aim is to allow the young defender to gradually regain his confidence and avoid another interruption after his return:

He needs to regain a lot of confidence. Rehabilitation requires great caution. We want to make sure that once he returns to the group, he can stay there for the long term.

Andoni Iraola nevertheless insists that this is not necessarily a recurrence, but rather a delay in the recovery programme. The club now hopes that Leoni will be able to begin working with his teammates during the November international break.

Aliou Toundé |

Editorfr

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