Liverpool supporters have been waiting almost an entire year to see Giovanni Leoni play football again.
The temptation will naturally be there to get him back onto the pitch as quickly as possible.
But Liverpool aren’t going to take that approach.
According to Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke, the Reds will not rush Leoni back from his ACL injury or take any unnecessary risks with the young defender after he has spent a whole year on the sidelines.
And honestly?
That is exactly what I want to hear.
Leoni has already been through enough.
One Year After That Horrible Night
It is almost impossible to believe that Leoni has been a Liverpool player for more than a year and has played just 81 competitive minutes for the club.
His Liverpool career started with so much promise.
He arrived from Parma as one of Italy’s most exciting young defenders and was handed his debut against Southampton in the Carabao Cup last September.
For 80 minutes, he looked like a player who belonged.
Then came the moment nobody wanted to see.
Leoni landed awkwardly following a challenge and immediately knew something was seriously wrong.
The scans confirmed the worst.
ACL injury.
Arne Slot subsequently revealed that Leoni would be out for around a year.
Just imagine being 18 years old, moving to a new country, making your Liverpool debut and playing brilliantly — only for your season to be effectively ended in the final minutes.
It was brutal.
But Now There Is Finally Light at the End of the Tunnel
The good news is that Leoni is finally getting closer.
Liverpool’s latest official injury update said the plan was for him to return to team training during the September/October international break.
That is a huge milestone.
Not a return to Premier League football.
Not a return to the starting XI.
Just training with his teammates.
But after everything Leoni has been through, even that will be a brilliant moment.
The defender himself spoke about his recovery in August and said he could finally see “the light at the end of the tunnel”.
He had returned to individual running and ball work and admitted that the thought of playing in front of Liverpool supporters again was something he had been dreaming about since the injury.
I can’t imagine what that first appearance back at Anfield is going to feel like for him.
Or for the supporters.
Liverpool Have No Reason to Take Risks
This is where the current Liverpool squad actually gives Iraola an advantage.
There is no need to throw Leoni straight back into Premier League football.
Virgil van Dijk is still here.
Jeremy Jacquet has emerged as one of Liverpool’s most encouraging young defenders.
Ronald Araujo can also provide defensive options.
And Joe Gomez is back available after his own injury problems.
That means Liverpool can afford to be patient with Leoni.
Football Insider’s report says precisely that Liverpool don’t want to take unnecessary risks with him after such a lengthy absence.
Good.
Let him train.
Let him build up his fitness.
Let him regain confidence in his knee.
Let him get used to the speed and physicality of competitive football again.
There is absolutely no prize for getting him back two weeks earlier if it means putting his recovery at risk.
And Iraola Could Have the Perfect Plan
I actually think Iraola could handle Leoni’s comeback really well.
There is no expectation that he needs to immediately become a first-choice defender.
Instead, Liverpool can gradually introduce him.
Perhaps a few minutes from the bench.
Then 20 or 30 minutes.
Then longer appearances.
Domestic cup football could provide an ideal route back into competitive action.
And if Liverpool are comfortably ahead in a Premier League match, there could eventually be opportunities for Leoni to get some minutes there too.
The important thing is that his return doesn’t have to be rushed.
He’s only 19.
His Liverpool career is about what happens over the next decade, not whether he plays 90 minutes in September or October 2026.
There Is Another Reason I’m Excited
Liverpool supporters barely saw Leoni before the injury.
That’s the frustrating thing.
We saw enough in those 81 minutes to understand why Liverpool were so excited about him, but we never got the opportunity to see him develop.
Now he is returning to a completely different Liverpool team.
Andoni Iraola is the manager.
Jacquet has emerged.
Araujo is playing at right-back.
The defensive structure looks much more secure.
And Leoni has spent an entire year learning, recovering and watching from the sidelines.
He has also spoken about working with Iraola on how he wants Liverpool to play.
Leoni revealed in his official Liverpool interview that the pair have already discussed his injury, rehabilitation and the tactical demands of Iraola’s system.
That is exciting.
Because when Leoni finally returns, he won’t simply be coming back to the Liverpool team he left behind.
He will be joining Iraola’s Liverpool.
Don’t Expect Miracles Immediately
We should also remember that an ACL comeback isn’t simply about being medically cleared.
Leoni may be fit enough to play before he feels completely like himself again.
The pace of Premier League football is different.
The physical battles are different.
The psychological side of returning after a serious knee injury is different.
Leoni himself admitted that he expects to feel nervous when he eventually plays again after such a long absence.
That’s completely understandable.
So I don’t want supporters judging him after his first game back.
If he misjudges a challenge, looks rusty or needs time to regain his sharpness, that’s fine.
Let the kid breathe.
He’s been waiting a year for this.
Liverpool Have a Special Player Waiting to Come Back
There is no guarantee of what Leoni will eventually become.
That’s football.
But Liverpool clearly saw enormous potential when they signed him from Parma, and his debut suggested there was plenty of reason for excitement.
Now the club has to protect that investment.
Don’t rush him.
Don’t take unnecessary risks.
Don’t throw him into three games in seven days simply because supporters are desperate to see him.
Build him back gradually.
Give him the time he needs.
And then, when he is genuinely ready, let him show us what he can do.
Liverpool supporters have already waited almost a year.
We can wait a little longer.
Because when Giovanni Leoni finally walks back onto that pitch, I don’t want Liverpool to be celebrating simply because he’s available again.
I want him to be ready.
And if Liverpool get that part right, we could finally discover what we were supposed to see all those months ago.
Giovanni Leoni’s Liverpool story is only just beginning.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
Leave a Reply