Andoni Iraola gives update on Giovanni Leoni rehabilitation progress
Andoni Iraola has offered an update on Giovanni Leoni’s rehabilitation from a long-term knee injury.
Liverpool defender Giovanni Leoni has spent the past year recovering from the ACL injury he suffered on his debut, a Carabao Cup tie against Southampton at Anfield in September 2025.
The 19‑year‑old has been working intensively with the club’s medical staff at the AXA Training Centre and is now edging closer to a return to full training. Initial plans for him to rejoin the squad during the most recent international break were pushed back, with Liverpool opting to take a cautious approach and target November’s break instead.
Speaking ahead of Liverpool’s match against Brentford, head coach Andoni Iraola explained the situation:
“It’s taking more time than we wanted. The idea was for him to train with the team during the last international break, but now it will probably be the next one, so we’ve effectively lost a month in the process.
“Giovanni’s injury — I wasn’t here at the time — but from what the medical department have told me, it wasn’t just an ACL. It was a severe injury with several structures around the knee affected.
“He needs to feel completely confident, and the rehab has to be handled very carefully. We want to make sure that once he’s back with the team, he stays there and is in a good place physically.
“It’s not a setback, but there has been a slight delay.
“The plan now is for him to start in the next international break. It’s not far away, but it is later than we originally expected.”
