The positive for Giovanni Leoni this summer was Andoni Iraola.Not because the young Italian had anything against Arne Slot, the man who agreed to sign him a year ago and was sacked in May after a disappointing season. Far from it.But if Liverpool were making a managerial change and Leoni, out with a serious knee injury for the past 11 months, needed further reassurance that he was appreciated despite his lengthy absence, then Iraola would be the ideal new arrival. In part, this is because the head coach had tried to sign the centre-half before.People with knowledge of the transfer, who asked to be kept anonymous to protect relationships — like all of those spoken to for this article unless otherwise noted — say it was May 2025, shortly after Dean Huijsen left Bournemouth for Real Madrid. Leoni was firmly on Iraola’s radar. Bournemouth had scoured the globe for talent and liked the look of the 18-year-old giant who was performing way above his age in the heart of Parma’s defence.Leoni appealed not only for his potential, but also for the qualities that Iraola likes in his centre-backs: strength, pace and the ability to comfortably play out from the back. Liverpool had also monitored Leoni for a considerable time, and when they swooped in Bournemouth weren’t the only club disappointed to miss out.Now, a year later, Iraola finally has the chance to work with a man he rates so highly. The 19-year-old is edging closer, cautiously, to full recovery from the ACL injury sustained in the closing stages of his Liverpool debut last September.Giovanni Leoni suffered an ACL injury on his Liverpool debut last September (Jan Kruger/Getty Images)Sources say that although no specific timeframe on his comeback has been set, the hope is he returns to full training before the end of the month and is available for selection in September.That would certainly help Liverpool, who are short on numbers in defence. However, they are in no hurry to rush Leoni back as a setback at this stage would be more damaging. Staff in the medical department have been encouraging and supportive throughout the recovery process. Having Iraola’s backing is also a timely boost for the teenager.