Liverpool defender Giovanni Leoni is expected to return to full training in mid-October, according to The Athletic.
The Reds signed the 19-year-old Italian from Parma for £26 million last August. He made his debut at Anfield the following month.
Leoni started in Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Southampton in the third round of the League Cup but was taken off on a stretcher in the 81st minute after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
He has spent the last 12 months recuperating and is close to returning to action.
Leoni chose to complete his rehabilitation at Liverpool’s training centre and has built strong relationships with staff.
The Reds have since signed Jeremy Jacquet, Ifeanyi Ndukwe, Mor Talla Ndiaye and Ronald Araujo, but the Italian teenager is expected to be handed opportunities once he is fully fit.
Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola is a big admirer of the youngster having previously tried to sign him for Bournemouth.
The Reds play 12 games in October and November, with ten of those coming across 28 days from next Sunday.
Leoni will feature in some of those matches, and he will be desperate to prove himself.
He is viewed as a future starter in the Reds’ defence, and Iraola will be keen to see whether he has what it takes to hit the ground running following the huge injury setback.
