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.
The defender sustained an ACL tear during his debut for Liverpool in a Carabao Cup tie with Southampton at Anfield in September 2025.
Leoni has worked tirelessly with the club’s medical team at the AXA Training Centre for the past year on his recovery programme and is currently edging closer to a return to training.
However, plans for the 19-year-old to rejoin the group in the last international break were postponed until November’s recess as the Reds continue to err on the side of caution with his fitness.
Head coach Iraola told his pre-Brentford press conference on Thursday: “It’s taking more time than we wanted. The planning was to train with the team in this past international break [but] probably it’s going to be in the next international break, so we’ve lost one month in the process.
“Giovanni’s injury, I wasn’t here but talking to the medical department, it was not just an ACL – it was a bad injury, a lot of things around the knee were involved apart from the ACL.
“He has to be very confident, the rehab process has to be very careful with him and we want to make sure once he comes to the team, he stays there in a good place.
“It’s true that we’ve had, not a setback, but a little bit of a delay, if you want.
“The plan now is he starts in the next break. It’s not that far but it’s a little bit later than we expected, yes.”
