Liverpool signing under Arne Slot yet to make Premier League debut: ‘He must be very confident’

Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola says Giovanni Leoni's recovery has taken longer than expected. The Italian suffered a serious knee injury on his debut last year and hasn't played since. Iraola hopes to have him back in training in November.

In the summer of 2025, Liverpool signed 19-year-old Leoni from Parma. The talented central defender, who can also play at right-back, had impressed enough there for Liverpool to be willing to pay €35 million plus bonuses for him.

Then-manager Arne Slot handed Leoni his debut on 23 September 2025 in the EFL Cup tie against Southampton. In the 81st minute, Leoni tore his cruciate ligament, among other injuries, in a challenge.

More than a year on, Leoni still hasn't joined group training, though Iraola hopes that will change soon. "It is taking longer than we would have liked," the Spaniard admits.

"The plan was for him to train with the team during the last international break, but that will probably not happen until the next international break. So we have lost a month."

"I wasn’t here when Giovanni was injured, but I have spoken to the medical staff. It wasn’t just a torn cruciate ligament; it was a serious injury. A lot of other things in his knee were damaged too."

Above all, Iraola doesn't want to rush Leoni. "He needs to be very confident. The rehabilitation process has to be handled very carefully, and we want to make sure that once he joins the team, he stays fit."

"The plan now is for him to join the group during the next international break. That isn’t too far away, but it is a little longer than we expected," Iraola concludes. His Liverpool face a tough away match against Brentford on Saturday afternoon.