Giovanni Leoni’s return from injury pushed back, Iraola says

On 15 October 2026 Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola said Giovanni Leoni’s return from the knee injury he suffered on his club debut has been delayed, with plans for him to rejoin team training during the recent international break moved back by about a month.

Leoni, a £26m signing from Parma in 2025, sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury against Southampton 13 months ago and had been expected to resume training during the recent international break. "It is taking more time than we wanted," the head coach said. "With Gio, the plan was to train with the team in this past international break. It is probably now going to be the next international break [which starts on 9 November], so we have lost one month in the process."

Iraola said the injury was more extensive than a straight ACL tear and that Liverpool’s medical staff had advised caution. "With Giovanni’s injury, I wasn’t here but talking to the medical department it wasn’t just an ACL. It was a bad injury, a lot of things around the knee were involved apart from the ACL. I think he has to be very confident in the rehab and the process has to be very careful with him."

The head coach set out a cautious rehabilitation priority for the 19-year-old defender, stressing the need for confidence in the recovery programme. "We want to make sure once he comes to the team he stays there in a good place. It’s true we’ve had a little bit of not a setback but a delay if you want. The plan now is he starts in the next break. It’s not that far off, but a little bit later than we expected," Iraola said.

Iraola also confirmed squad availability concerns elsewhere as Liverpool prepare for their upcoming fixtures. Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo remain doubts for Saturday’s Premier League trip to Brentford, having missed Liverpool’s last two fixtures with injuries picked up on international duty.

Iraola’s timeline leaves Leoni aiming to return to team training during the next international break, which the head coach indicated starts on 9 November, as Liverpool monitor both the defender’s recovery and the fitness of other players ahead of their weekend trip to Brentford.