'I heard what Arne Slot said at Liverpool press conference - he loves unproven star'

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Title: I heard what Arne Slot said at Liverpool press conference - he loves unproven star

The article focuses on Liverpool defender Giovanni Leoni, his serious knee injury, and how new head coach Arne Slot views the young centre-back despite his setback. Leoni, a 19-year-old signed from Parma in the summer, suffered a torn ACL on his debut in the Carabao Cup win over Southampton, an injury he immediately recognised as severe from the intense pain and unnatural feeling in his knee. The blow arrived just as he was starting to make an impression at Anfield, abruptly halting his momentum and raising questions about Liverpool’s depth at centre-back.

In the piece, Leoni explains that he is now several months into his rehabilitation, working daily in the gym and pool and concentrating on the mental side of recovery as much as the physical. He insists that “the hardest part is over” and stresses his determination to “come back stronger than before,” refusing to set distant targets so he can focus instead on small, daily gains. The article notes how Leoni frames the injury as something that can ultimately make him stronger, both as a player and a person.

A key theme is the support Leoni has received from Virgil van Dijk, who went through a similar ACL injury. The Liverpool captain called him immediately after the diagnosis, and the pair remain in regular contact, even sharing the same surgeon. Van Dijk’s guidance, experience and “captain’s charisma” have given Leoni a template for how to handle the long lay-off and return at the highest level.

Against this backdrop, the article highlights what Slot has said publicly about Leoni, interpreting the manager’s words as clear evidence that he believes in the youngster’s potential despite his lack of Premier League experience. Slot is portrayed as genuinely enthusiastic about what Leoni can become once fit, seeing him not as a forgotten injured player but as an important part of Liverpool’s future defensive plans. The tone underlines that, in Slot’s eyes, Leoni remains a prized, if currently unproven, asset rather than a transfer mistake.