Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola reacts during a match.
Andoni Iraola has revealed that Giovanni Leoni's comeback from an ACL injury is taking longer than anticipated.
The Italian suffered the injury on his Reds debut last year in the Carabao Cup against Southampton at Anfield.
4Liverpool are not rushing Leoni back, who is yet to get his career at Anfield underway
He has now been out of action for over a year, and unfortunately for the Italian youth international, there is no return in sight.
Speaking ahead of the Reds taking on Brentford in the Premier League this weekend, Iraola shared an update on Leoni.
Leoni injury update
He said: “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.”
Leoni joined Liverpool as an 18-year-old from Parma, and despite his tender age, he was seen as an immediate option in the first team.
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Arne Slot handed him his debut in that game against Southampton, and he lasted 81 minutes before he was stretchered off the pitch.
4The concerning thing for Iraola is that there is no timescale for Leoni's returnCredit: Getty
4Leoni is back in individual training but has been delayed in his bid to join the rest of his teamCredit: Getty
Injury woes
Leoni is just one of several long-term injuries at Anfield.
Conor Bradley has been struggling with a serious knee injury, with Iraola revealing last month that he is not close to training with the team.
Hugo Ekitike is also on the sidelines with a serious Achilles problem that will likely keep him out of action until the new year.
There are then injuries to Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo as well, with the duo still major doubts for the weekend.
And Dominik Szoboszlai is also on the treatment table following a hamstring issue sustained over the international break.
4With Gakpo and Isak out, Liverpool are short in the attacking areas of the pitchCredit: Getty
Defensive instability
Liverpool might have scored six in midweek, but they also shipped three to LASK.
That came mere days after they lost 3-0 to Manchester City, with Iraola none too happy with the defending on show from his side.
He said: "[That's] probably the reason why the manager shouldn't change both centre-backs, but we were already winning 4-0 and you have to think about the next game and saving the legs of the players.
"We didn't defend properly at the end of the game."