Giovanni Leoni receives messages from Liverpool teammates after injury update

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Liverpool teenager Giovanni Leoni returned to light training this week and his teammates have been quick to show their support for the young defender on social media

Giovanni Leoni is inching ever closer to a return(Image: Liverpool FC, Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Giovanni Leoni's return to light training has boosted morale amongst Liverpool players. The young Italian sparked excitement among Anfield fans when he made his Reds debut in the 2-1 League Cup triumph against Southampton in September.

The 19-year-old appeared poised to break into Arne Slot's first team until a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament curtailed his season before it truly began. Slot was gutted to lose the teenager, who joined from Parma for £26 million ($34.6M) during the summer.

Nevertheless, following surgery six months ago, Leoni participated in a light training session at the AXA Training Centre and was spotted striking footballs and jogging on the treadmill. This provided a significant lift for the Liverpool squad, with fellow summer signing Hugo Ekitike among those responding to the youngster's recent social media update.

On his Instagram account, Leoni shared a collection of images from his light session. He was pictured in the gym, striking a ball on the pitch and running on a treadmill.

His fifth image featured a dark screen with the words "everything happens for a reason" displayed in white text at the centre of the page. Several Liverpool players publicly demonstrated their backing for the central defender.

Ekitike responded with "soon back my brother," accompanied by a red heart and a praying emoji. Conor Bradley, who was among the first to comfort Leoni following his season-ending injury against the Saints, posted a flexed bicep emoji and a red heart.

Giovanni Leoni has been injured since September(Image: 2025 Getty Images)

Ibrahima Konate also shared two red heart emojis and a handshake, while Reds captain Virgil van Dijk posted a flexed bicep and a love heart. Stefan Bajcetic, Curtis Jones, Rio Ngumoha, and Milos Kerkez also expressed their support with emoji-laden tributes in the comments section.

In January, Leoni revealed to La Gazzetta dello Sport that he had overcome the toughest part of his recovery and was eagerly anticipating making further progress. He also reflected on the night his worst fears were realized.

He recalled: "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."

Regarding 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."