Liverpool star out until December, injury worse than expected with multiple complications

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Released Oct 16, 2026, 8:41 AM GMT +1

Ben is a knowledgeable sports reporter and senior editor at Football FanCast, specialising in transfer reporting, Premier League protection and football analysis. He finished with a Master’s degree in Sports Journalism in 2017.

Ben has actually composed for publications consisting of the Liverpool Echo and the Lincolnshire Echo. Throughout his profession, he has actually covered a series of sports, from American football to blended martial arts, however his main enthusiasm has actually constantly been football journalism.

Considering that signing up with Football FanCast in 2018, at first as a freelance author covering clubs throughout the English football pyramid, Ben has actually developed himself as one of the publication’s leading transfer press reporters. His know-how depends on examining the reliability of transfer stories, evaluating what they suggest for clubs and fans, and supplying context behind football’s most significant talking points. Along the method, he has actually constructed a substantial network of relied on sources throughout the football market that enhances both his reporting and editorial insight.

Today, Ben leads Football FanCast’s news group as Senior Editor, supervising the publication’s football protection while assisting form its editorial requirements, transfer reporting and analysis.

Liverpool have actually been dealt another injury blow ahead of this weekend’s Premier League journey to Brentford, with Andoni Iraola supplying a worrying upgrade.

The Reds head into Saturday’s clash in excellent spirits after travelling previous LASK in the Champions League today, with Bradley Barcola scoring a hat-trick in an excellent assaulting screen.

It wasn’t simply the Frenchman who made appreciation from Iraola, with teenage midfielder Trey Nyoni likewise capturing the eye after being handed a chance to impress.

“Trey is a player that I think, being very young with not a lot of minutes in the first team, he’s very mature,” Iraola informed press reporters. “He understands the situations very well, he understands the game very well. Tactically, I think he’s really smart.

“He has to continue doing the actions in the ideal instructions. I’m positive with him

.[ 19659013]If he needs to play as a 6, as a 8, he needs to play one minute, he does not need to play, he needs to begin and play all the video game like the other day-he needs to exist, putting pressure likewise on the other midfielders.

[ 19659015]REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl

“And I think it’s very good for us that we can put these young players with not a lot of experience and they can perform in a competition like the Champions League or in the Premier League.”

Nyoni might be hired once again versus Brentford, with Dominik Szoboszlai a doubt due to a hamstring concern and Ryan Gravenberch not available through suspension.

Iraola likewise exposed that Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo are dealing with late physical fitness tests ahead of the journey to west London, while offering an upgrade on Giovanni Leoni’s prolonged rehab.

Liverpool verify Giovanni Leoni injury hold-up

Speaking ahead of the Brentford clash, Iraola verified that Leoni’s healing from a major knee injury has actually taken longer than at first expected, with the Italian now not likely to go back to first-team training up until the November global break.

The 19-year-old had actually initially been anticipated to rejoin his colleagues throughout October’s worldwide components as he recuperates from a torn ACL, however issues surrounding other locations of his knee have actually required Liverpool to postpone those strategies by roughly a month.

“It’s taking more time than we wanted. The planning was to train with the team in this past international break probably it’s going to be in the next international break, so we’ve lost one month in the process,” Iraola informed Liverpool’s main site

“Giovanni’s injury, I wasn’t here but talking to the medical department, it was not just an ACL – it was a bad injury, a lot of things around the knee were involved apart from the ACL.

“He needs to be really positive, the rehabilitation procedure needs to be really cautious with him and we wish to make certain as soon as he concerns the group, he remains there in a great location.

“It’s real that we’ve had, not an obstacle, however a bit of a hold-up, if you desire.

“The plan now is he starts in the next break. It’s not that far but it’s a little bit later than we expected, yes.”

Leoni has actually been sidelined because suffering an ACL tear on his Liverpool launching versus Southampton in the Carabao Cup in September 2025, having actually signed up with the Reds from Parma previously that summertime.

His newest hold-up indicates a competitive return is not likely before early December at best, with Liverpool not surprisingly unwilling to hurry the child back after more than a year on the sidelines.

Leoni and Jeremy Jacquet are considered as vital parts of Liverpool’s long-lasting protective future, although the Italian’s extended lack might likewise affect the club’s prepare for Ronald Araujo.

With Araujo’s long-term future still to be chosen, any issues over Leoni’s healing might reinforce the case for maintaining the knowledgeable protector beyond his existing plan.

How Liverpool fans responded to Leoni injury news

While Iraola is bound to be careful as he prepares for the long-lasting with a pairing of Leoni and Jacquet viewed as the best duo to prosper Virgil van Dijk’s period of supremacy, lots of Liverpool fans were less than amazed upon hearing the current problem.