Liverpool’s 19‑year‑old centre‑back Giovanni Leoni will be out of action longer than originally planned, the club’s head coach Andoni Ira Iraola confirmed on Tuesday. Leoni, who joined the club from Parma for £26 million in 2025, suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear in his first season when he was sent off in a 2‑1 defeat to Southampton. The injury was expected to keep him sidelined for the rest of the campaign, but the medical team has discovered that the damage was more extensive than a simple ACL rupture.
Ira Iraola said the player had been scheduled to return to first‑team training during the recent international break, but the rehabilitation timeline has been pushed back by roughly a month. “It is taking more time than we wanted,” the coach explained. “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.” He added that the injury involved “a lot of things around the knee” beyond the ACL, and that the club must proceed cautiously to ensure Leoni’s long‑term fitness.
Leoni’s delayed comeback means Liverpool will still be without a key defender for the remainder of the season. The club’s injury list already includes doubts such as Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo, who have been sidelined by injuries sustained on international duty and will miss the upcoming Premier League match against Brentford. With Leoni’s recovery now expected to begin in the next international window, the Reds’ defensive options will remain limited until the end of the year.
Liverpool’s medical staff will focus on a careful rehabilitation programme, with the aim of returning Leoni to full match fitness without risking further damage. The club has expressed confidence that once he re‑joins the squad he will be able to stay in a good position for the long term. As the season progresses, the team will need to rely on its depth in defence while monitoring Leoni’s progress closely. The next international break, starting 9 November, will be the earliest opportunity for the young defender to resume training and work towards a full recovery.