Giovanni Leoni's Return Delayed in Fresh Blow to Liverpool

Liverpool must wait another month to see Giovanni Leoni back in team training.

The 19-year-old central defender has not played since wrecking his knee on his debut about 13 months ago. Head coach Andoni Iraola confirmed the delay on 15 October 2026, ahead of Saturday's Premier League trip to Brentford, The Guardian.

Leoni joined Liverpool from Parma in 2025 for £26m. He made his debut against Southampton in the Carabao Cup at Anfield in September 2025. It was a cruel start. He lasted only minutes before he was carried off.

The injury was an anterior cruciate ligament tear, damage to a key stabilising ligament in the knee. Liverpool later confirmed there was also damage to other structures around the joint. That complicated the recovery from the start.

The plan had been for Leoni to rejoin the main group during the international break just gone. That date has now slipped. Iraola said the defender will instead target the next international break, starting on 9 November 2026.

"It's taking more time than we wanted," Iraola told LiverpoolFC.com. He spoke at his pre-Brentford press conference on Thursday.

The original prognosis was stark. In September 2025, then-manager Arne Slot said Leoni faced around a year on the sidelines, after Reuters first reported he would be out for several months. Thirteen months on, that timeline has stretched a little further.

Leoni is not Liverpool's only concern. Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo are doubts for Brentford. All three missed the previous two matches with injuries picked up on international duty.

For fans, this means patience. Leoni arrived as one for the future, not for now. A full recovery matters more than a fast one.