Giovanni Leoni is poised to take the next big step in his rehabilitation from an ACL injury, with Liverpool supporters eagerly anticipating his return to team training. The 19-year-old defender, who has been sidelined since last September, was a notable presence in Liverpool's official squad photo for the 2026/27 season, sparking a recurring theme in fan comments about his height.
Standing next to Giorgi Mamardashvili on the back row, Leoni appears to now be the tallest player in Andoni Iraola's squad. The defender was credited as standing at 6ft 4" when he signed from Parma last summer, but if that measurement was accurate, he may have grown over the past year, with Mamardashvili believed to be 6ft 6".
Long Road Back from Injury
Supporters have had to wait over a year for a glimpse of Leoni in a Reds shirt after he suffered an ACL injury at the end of a promising debut showing against Southampton last September. The timing was described as horrendously cruel, coming just a couple of weeks after the centre-back had received a maiden senior international call-up by Italy and only a month into his Liverpool career following his £26m move from Parma.
Now a year on, Leoni is poised to return to team training. Iraola revealed at the start of September that the Italian was expected to return to training during the international break. “I think the next one probably should be Giovanni Leoni,” he said. “I think the plan is also to start training during the break, with the group.”
Preparing for Comeback
If all has gone to plan over the past month, the teenager is on the cusp of a comeback. The Reds won't rush him, and nor do they need to, with Virgil van Dijk, Jeremy Jacquet, Ronald Araujo, Joe Gomez and even Wataru Endo ensuring Iraola's centre-back options are already well-stocked. But when the time is right, Leoni will look to kickstart his Anfield career.
He has made the most of his time on the sidelines to ensure he is best-prepared to make his return. Former head coach Arne Slot would repeatedly comment on the visible progress Leoni had made in the gym, while the defender has also fast-tracked studying English, taking three two-hour lessons a week during his time out injured.
Speaking back in August, the teenager admitted he could see the light at the end of the tunnel after a lengthy lay-off. “Now I feel really good,” Leoni told club media. “After 10 months, I’m back on the pitch alone. But I feel really good, in the last weeks I felt really good on the pitch. The knee is looking good and I'm feeling the knee really good, so I can’t wait to be back with the team as soon as possible and then come back to play games in front of the fans. Now I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I’m not with the team, but I think in a short time now I can be back with the team. Then we will see how the knee will respond and how I will feel to be back playing games. I’ve been dreaming about that (playing games) since I had the injury. I can’t wait to be back in front of the fans. These two months now, the excitement is going to be more and more, because as I said, I can see the light until the end. So, now I can feel more that the comeback is closer. So, I’m really happy.”
Future Partnership with Jacquet
Now Leoni's excitement must be boiling over, and the feeling is mutual with the club's fanbase. He showed enough in his maiden performance for supporters to see his natural talent. While it will take time to get back up to the level required, Liverpool's supporters are eager to see Leoni follow through on his high potential.
Their appetite has perhaps been whetted by Jacquet's stunning start to his own Anfield career following his £55m move from Stade Rennes this summer. The 21-year-old has already received plenty of plaudits during the opening weeks of his Reds career, and received a similar reception back in his homeland when making his debut for France on Monday night.
In Leoni and Jacquet, Liverpool bosses felt they had signed two of the hottest defensive talents in Italy and France. The latter is already vindicating such faith on the pitch, while the former will be hungry to make up for lost time. Their arrivals were both part of wider succession planning as the club looked to the future. With Reds captain Van Dijk now 35 and out of contract next summer, there is a question mark regarding how the heart of Liverpool's defence might look going forward. Gomez is also out of contract, along with goalkeeper Alisson Becker, while Araujo will return to parent club Barcelona if his £47m purchase option is not activated.
It would be a big ask for Leoni to fill the void, but it was a big ask for Jacquet to do the same this year following the departure of Ibrahima Konate. Both defenders are still so young, but the Reds will hope they can forge a long-term centre-back partnership for years to come. With Leoni now on the final straight as he closes in on making his Liverpool return, Iraola will soon be able to unleash a new-look pairing that has been a year in the making.
