6 August 2026·By [Paul Vegas](/author/paul-vegas)
Giovanni Leoni has offered Liverpool supporters an encouraging update on his recovery from an ACL injury, saying he can now train alone on the pitch again.
The teenage defender ruptured his ACL just 80 minutes into his Liverpool debut last September, having only just joined the club from Parma, and has spent the months since working through rehabilitation at the club's training ground and on the recent pre-season tour of the United States.
Speaking to the club's media, the 19-year-old said his knee finally feels close to normal after a long and difficult process.
"Now I feel really good. 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," Leoni said.
The centre-back, who stands at 6ft 5in, has not yet rejoined full team training but believes that stage of his recovery is not far away.
> "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," he added.
"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."
Liverpool have been careful not to rush his return given the severity of the injury and his age, with manager Andoni Iraola – who replaced Arne Slot in the Anfield dugout in May – already sitting down with Leoni to discuss how he wants his defence to play, despite the Italian still being some weeks from full training.
Leoni impressed during his brief senior bow against Southampton in the Carabao Cup before the injury struck, and Liverpool are hopeful he can build on that promise once he is fully fit.
Captain Virgil van Dijk, who suffered a similar injury in 2020, has become a mentor to the teenager throughout his rehabilitation, while sources close to the club have indicated they hope Leoni can rejoin full training before the end of August with a view to being available for selection again in September.
Liverpool signed Leoni from Parma last summer as one of several defensive reinforcements, and supporters have followed his recovery closely on social media, with Iraola recently remarking on the physical condition the youngster has built up during his time on the sidelines.