Giovanni Leoni is closing in on a return to full training with Liverpool, 12 months after undergoing surgery on an anterior cruciate ligament injury. The young Italian centre-back is expected to rejoin his teammates after the international break, having spent the past year recovering at the club's AXA Centre in Kirkby.
Leoni suffered the injury towards the end of what had been an otherwise impressive Liverpool debut, in a Carabao Cup win over Southampton on October 1, 2025. A picture he posted from his hospital bed that day, in a gown with a thumbs-up pose, showed him thanking well-wishers and promising to "be back soon".
Transformation during recovery
Over the 12 months since, the six-foot-six teenager has visibly bulked up since being given the green light to return to the gym. Those who have watched the transformation up close have been impressed by his dedication, with Leoni also seen in an August Instagram image standing in the shadow of a giant clock with the caption "countdown", hinting at his belief that a comeback was nearing.
Leoni chose to complete his rehabilitation at the club's training base rather than return to Italy, wanting to build relationships with the staff who have supported him over the past year. The maturity he has shown in not rushing his recovery has been commendable, particularly given he is at a new club and keen to make an impression.
Liverpool's investment in young defenders
Liverpool signed Leoni for an initial £26m in August 2025, fending off strong interest from Italian clubs, including Inter, who had just been beaten in the Champions League final by Paris Saint-Germain. He had joined from Parma with just a season of first-team football under his belt.
The club's decision-makers have been content to spend around £90m on Leoni and Jeremy Jacquet, believing they have secured two of Europe's most promising defenders under 21. This came after Ibrahima Konate left as a free agent in the summer when an agreement over new terms could not be reached, with Liverpool unwilling to meet his wage demands.
Learning from Van Dijk
The ability to play alongside and learn from club captain Virgil van Dijk is something Leoni has been robbed of this past year, but he is eager to make up for lost time. With Van Dijk's contract set to expire in the summer of 2027, around the time of his 36th birthday, the need to future-proof the centre-back position has been clear in recent transfer windows. The belief is that Leoni can start full team training after the international break.
