Giovanni Leoni is going through probably the most troublesome 12 months of any footballer’s profession as he works his means again from an ACL tear, however Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez know his wrestle.
Leoni has been dominated out for a 12 months after tearing his ACL on his debut for Liverpool, that means his season is over together with the World Cup and subsequent summer season’s pre-season.
It’s a huge setback for an 18-year-old who had left his residence nation to affix a brand new membership with a step up in expectations, however there might be world-class help in his rehabilitation.
That features the private expertise of Van Dijk and Gomez, who’ve each suffered ACL accidents of their profession and had been each sidelined with critical knee points within the 2020/21 marketing campaign.
“I feel that undoubtedly helps,” Arne Slot stated of the worth of Van Dijk and Gomez’s help to Leoni.
“We’ve got some examples of that with Virgil and Joe, and there are quite a lot of examples from world wide.
“That’s why I stated the optimistic factor is that he’s nonetheless 18, so he nonetheless has quite a lot of time to go.
“For those who get an damage like that when you find yourself near your retirement it makes it way more troublesome perhaps. However in each conditions it’s removed from splendid.
“I feel a very powerful factor is the surgeons who’re going to do the surgical procedure, then second of all those that do the restoration, the rehab with him.
“However then it’s at all times good if you are able to do this surrounded by gamers which have lived by way of this as nicely, they’ll provide the proper power perhaps in sure moments.
“I feel our gamers already confirmed, within the final two days, quite a lot of compassion in the direction of him and they won’t cease doing that within the upcoming 12 months.”
Van Dijk is even higher after his ACL
In fact, not solely have Van Dijk and Gomez suffered comparable accidents up to now however they’re a part of Slot’s centre-back ranks together with Leoni.
Van Dijk specifically serves as a shining instance of a participant reclaiming peak type – and even exceeding his earlier requirements – after recovering from an ACL tear.
Leoni can look to the Liverpool captain as a job mannequin in his rehabilitation, with Florian Wirtz one other who missed nearly a 12 months with a torn ACL whereas he was at Bayer Leverkusen.
It could not soften the blow of this cruellest of setbacks for a participant who solely turns 19 in December, however he can not less than be protected within the data that he has the community wanted to work his means again as quickly as attainable.
