Welcome Giovanni Leoni

[Tatterdemalion]

I feel genuinely sorry for the lad. I hope the other players are trying to keep his spirits up. Must be scary living in a foreign country at that age and not being able to form close bonds with your colleagues or even ply your trade.

[kingfunk]

I feel genuinely sorry for the lad. I hope the other players are trying to keep his spirits up. Must be scary living in a foreign country at that age and not being able to form close bonds with your colleagues or even ply your trade.

He’s not in a one bed, over some chippy in Wavertree.

[memzey]

Does anyone know when this lad is due back in full training? I thought he was supposed to be fit for the start of pre-season but that is apparently not the case.

[Exiled_red]

Does anyone know when this lad is due back in full training? I thought he was supposed to be fit for the start of pre-season but that is apparently not the case.

I don't think anything has been mentioned, I suspect/hope that we are just being cautious we don't want to push him back too quickly given the injury he has had. Without a proper preseason I suspect it will be at least a couple of months into the season before we see him and I doubt t he will play regularly this calendar year.

[Charly]

I dont think we should be expecting anything of him to be honest.

He broke after one game, and is still a kid. I would work on the assumption he wont play this year, other than the cups if we are lucky, and maybe unsuited to the Premier League. Fingers crossed, but thats not a viable plan.

That leaves 3 senior Centrebacks, which is not enough under ideal circumstances. Our circumstances are trash, with one kid just coming back from a bad injury. VVD is 36, and Gomez is Gomez.(and our only right back)

Not a single player sits in the reliable centreback box for me.

In reality VVD will probably be fit for most of the season, but he is going to fall off a cliff at some point, same as every player in their 30s. If it happens with the current squad we are ****ed.

[rudedog]

He’s still a teenager and has only played 1 game for us before getting a freak injury, far too early to be deciding whether he’s cut out for the prem or not.

[Charly]

Its not too early to decide we need another centreback though, is it?

[SB]

Its not too early to decide we need another centreback though, is it?

I agree we definitely need another CB to give the kids time to kick on. The reports on Jacquet are promising but he still needs time to adjust.

[memzey]

So, Leoni is in the squad for the preseason tour of the USA. Does this mean he might get some game time out there?

[SB]

So, Leoni is in the squad for the preseason tour of the USA. Does this mean he might get some game time out there?

I read that Iraola decided to take the injured players along but they’d continue their rehab over there. I imagine he wants them around for morale to get to know them plus I imagine he talks tactics with the players so best to get an early understanding of what’s wanted even if they aren’t on the pitch.

[memzey]

Yebbut then why did Danns miss out on the trip with nothing more than a slightly tight hamstring? I'm holding out that Leoni might actually get some minutes on the pitch. It would actually be great to see him and JJ line up together at the back, sooner rather than later.

[SB]

Yebbut then why did Danns miss out on the trip with nothing more than a slightly tight hamstring? I'm holding out that Leoni might actually get some minutes on the pitch. It would actually be great to see him and JJ line up together at the back, sooner rather than later.

But not all of the kids have gone on tour. Maybe Iraola doesn’t think he’ll be around so didn’t bother taking him.

[memzey]

I suppose we'll see in due course with respect to Leoni's availability. I think Danns was slated to go on the tour but was pulled at the last minute due to a tight hamstring, or at least, that's what's being reported. I get a sense that both of these kids have something special about them and could have great careers, if their bodies permit.

[Exiled_red]

Yebbut then why did Danns miss out on the trip with nothing more than a slightly tight hamstring? I'm holding out that Leoni might actually get some minutes on the pitch. It would actually be great to see him and JJ line up together at the back, sooner rather than later.

My guess/hope would be Danns is much closer to being fit/available so would benefit from some time working on his fitness (some sort of personalised rehab/fitness programme) for when we get back from the US whereas the players who are properly injured are just along for the ride and team building type stuff.