Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola has offered an update on the fitness of his injured players ahead of the Premier League clash at Brentford on Saturday
Giovanni Leoni of Liverpool (Photo by Nikki Dyer/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Giovanni Leoni of Liverpool (Photo by Nikki Dyer/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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Andoni Iraola has revealed Giovanni Leoni's planned return to Liverpool has been delayed - with the injury suffered by the defender more complicated than was initially reported.
Leoni has been absent since sustaining serious ACL damage when making his debut in the League Cup win at home to Southampton in September 2025.
The 19-year-old centre-back, a £26million arrival from Parma last summer, had been expected to have resumed full training with the first-team squad during the recent international break.
But with Liverpool refusing to rush the recovery of Leoni, the Italian is now not anticipated to be back on the pitch with the main group until next month.
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"It is taking more time than we wanted," said Reds head coach Iraola. "With Gio, the plan was to train with the team in this past international break.
"It is probably now going to be the next international break, so we have lost one month in the process.
"Giovanni's injury, I wasn't here but talking to the medical department it wasn't just an ACL. It was a bad injury, a lot of things around the knee were involved apart from the ACL.
"I think he has to be very confident in the rehab and the process has to be very careful with him.
"We want to make sure once he comes to the team he stays there in a good place. It's true we've had a little bit of not a setback but a delay, if you want.
"The plan now is he starts in the next break. It's not that far off, but a little bit later than we expected."
Leoni, similar to other long-term injury victims Conor Bradley and Hugo Ekitike, will remain absent through the latest raft of games, with Liverpool playing their third match in 29 days in the Premier League at Brentford on Saturday.
It comes less than 72 hours after their 6-3 Champions League romp at LASK in which Iraola was compelled to rotate his resources with young duo Trey Nyoni and Lewis Koumas both making their first-ever start in the competition.
And while Wataru Endo and Federico Chiesa will come into consideration at the weekend having been ineligible for Europe, Liverpool could once again be without Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai, with the trio having missed the last two games through injury.
"It's early for us to say," said Iraola on Thursday. "We still have tomorrow training. They weren't ready for Wednesday night and we have to wait and see.
"It's still very early but like the same way I said when they weren't available for the previous games, I leave the chance open (that they could play)."
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