A return to action for Giovanni Leoni is finally drawing closer, even if his rehabilitation has taken longer than anticipated. The Italian defender, who ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on September 23 last year, could resume training alongside the rest of the squad during the upcoming international break.

Providing an update on his condition was Andoni Iraola, manager of Liverpool, who explained during a press conference that the young defender's physical setback was more complex than initially thought.

"It has taken longer than expected. Honestly, the plan with Giovanni was to train with the team during the last international break. I think that will probably happen in the next break, so we have lost about a month," the manager stated.

Iraola highlighted the severity of the injury, pointing out that it was not merely a torn cruciate ligament: "I was not at Liverpool yet when he got injured, but speaking with the medical staff, I can say it was not just an ACL rupture. It was a bad injury because other things around the knee were involved as well."

Despite falling behind the original schedule, the manager struck an optimistic tone: "I think he should be very confident. The rehab process requires a lot of care for him, and we want to ensure that once he rejoins the squad, he can stay there. It is true we had a bit of a delay. The plan now is for him to start around the next break. It is not that far away, but it is slightly later than we anticipated," Iraola concluded.