Federico Chiesa Praises Giovanni Leoni After Italian Defender Shines On Liverpool Debut Before Going Off Injured

After the Giovanni Leoni injury tainted his full Liverpool debut, Federico Chiesa has offered his support to the Italian defender. 

Leoni sparkled in Liverpool’s 2-1 victory over Southampton on September 23. His strong and assured performance impressed the Anfield faithful during the EFL Cup clash.

Although his night was cruelly cut short, Italian team-mate Chiesa praised Leoni and said that the 18-year-old defender has a ‘bright future ahead of him.’

🚨⚠️ Liverpool centre back Giovanni Leoni has torn his ACL and will be out for several months.

After excellent debut in League Cup last night with also Arne Slot very happy, an unlucky injury for Leoni who will try to be back before the end of the season. pic.twitter.com/TWFvj5jKfY

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 24, 2025

Giovanni Leoni Injury

After Giovanni Leoni said he was happy to receive his first Italy call-up for September’s WCQ’s, it will be a long time before he re-joins the Azzurri roster.

Leoni tumbled and landed awkwardly in the 81st minute of the cup win against Southampton. The 18-year-old was clearly in agony and was eventually stretchered off.

After being assessed by Liverpool’s medical team and undergoing an MRI scan, it has now been confirmed that Leoni has torn his ACL.

The news comes as a huge blow to both club and country. Although Leoni didn’t earn his first senior cap for the Azzurri earlier this month, he was tipped to feature in October’s WCQ’s.

Nonetheless, it’s a case of waiting for the injury to heal which will in turn help to determine exactly how much game time Leoni will miss. It’s likely that Leoni won’t feature for the rest of the 2025-26 campaign.

Federico Chiesa On Giovanni Leoni

Federico Chiesa and Giovanni Leoni both earned favorable reviews after their performances against Southampton. The Italian duo impressed in the cup clash with Chiesa praising his compatriot.

The Euro 2020 winner also wished Leoni a quick and speedy recovery after his ACL injury towards the end of the EFL Cup win against the Saints.

“I’m sorry for Giovanni Leoni for what has happened to him,” Chiesa explained. “We don’t know yet what will happen to him but I hope it’s nothing bad because he has a bright future ahead, he’s a fantastic guy and a great footballer.

“He’s just 18, but I hope it’s nothing bad, but we’ll see.  I saw him last year in Serie A and he already showed calmness on the ball and a great defensive mind, an Italian defensive mind like the old defenders back in the day. I hope it’s nothing.”

As optimistic as Chiesa’s words were about Leoni’s injury, the worst has now been confirmed. The 18-year-old is tipped to be the long-term successor to Virgil van Dijk.

Leoni certainly has the potential to reach said levels but he will have to navigate this set back first. With the support of Chiesa and Co, he’ll return to first team action gunning for success.