Giovanni Leoni’s devastating injury earlier in the season was a huge disappointment for Liverpool, but there appears to be good news about the young Italian
20:19, 28 Mar 2026Updated 20:19, 28 Mar 2026
Liverpool defender Giovanni Leoni has been injured since September(Image: 2025 Getty Images)
Giovanni Leoni’s return to light training has lifted the spirits of Liverpool stars. The young Italian left Anfield supporters excited when he made his Reds’ debut in the 2-1 League Cup victory over Southampton in September.
The 19-year-old looked ready to force his way into Arne Slot’s starting eleven until a torn anterior cruciate ligament ended his campaign before it really got started. Slot was devastated to lose the teenager, who arrived from Parma for £26million in the summer.
However, after undergoing surgery six months ago, Leoni had a session of light exercise at the AXA Training Centre and could be seen kicking footballs and running on the treadmill. This proved to be a huge boost for the Liverpool stars, with the likes of fellow summer arrival Hugo Ekitike commenting on the youngster’s recent social media post.
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On his Instagram page, Leoni uploaded a series of photos from his light session. He could be seen in the gym, kicking a ball on the pitch and running on a treadmill.
His fifth picture was a dark screen with the words “everything happens for a reason” written in white writing in the middle of the page. A number of Liverpool stars publicly showed their support to the central defender.
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Ekitike commented “soon back my brother” alongside a red love heart and a praying emoji. Conor Bradley, who was one of the first players to console Leoni when he suffered his campaign ending injury against the Saints, commented a flexed bicep emoji and a red love heart.
Ibrahima Konate also posted two red love heart emojis and a handshake, while Reds skipper Virgil van Dijk posted a flexed bicep and a love heart. Stefan Bajcetic, Curtis Jones, Rio Ngumoha and Milos Kerkez also sent their own emoji filled tributes in the comments section.
In January, Leoni told La Gazzetta dello Sport he had overcame the most difficult part of his recovery and was quickly looking forward to making more strides. He also opened up on his memories of the night his worst nightmares were recognised.
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He said: “As soon as I hit the ground, I told Conor Bradley, my teammate: ‘I tore my cruciate ligament.’ It had never happened to me before, but it was a strange feeling. I thought, ‘That’s it, period.’ It was a huge, intense pain, the strongest I’ve ever felt in my life.”
On his recovery, he added: “The hardest part is over now. I’m doing rehab, swimming, and the gym. For a footballer, an injury like this can be the hardest moment of their career.
“Now I just want to train my mind to come back stronger than before. I think that’s the key: the mind can do most of the work.”
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