Liverpool starlet Giovanni Leoni has already hit a career goal that Virgil van Dijk never managed

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Giovanni Leoni’s Liverpool career has been short-lived up until this point.

Leoni has already been dubbed a “world-class” talent by Alessandro Lucarelli, even though he got injured during his first appearance for the Anfield outfit.

The Italian managed to tear his ACL during a third-round Carabao Cup clash against Southampton, which has left Arne Slot with just three centre-backs among his Liverpool ranks.

Despite his long-term layoff, due to his performances for Parma last season, the 18-year-old has been nominated for the Golden Boy award, with others such as Lamine Yamal and Jude Bellingham also featuring on the list.

Virgil van Dijk never managed to earn himself a Golden Boy nomination

Virgil van Dijk is seen as the best centre-back in the world by most people.

The Dutchman has been Liverpool’s rock at the back ever since his £70million transfer from the Saints back in January 2018.

Since his arrival, he’s been partnered with all sorts of players, such as Joe Gomez, Joel Matip, and now Ibrahima Konate.

However, despite being seen as one of the best centre-backs in the world, the towering defender never managed to earn a Golden Boy nomination.

His senior career started with Groningen, but, until he made the move to St Mary’s, his talents weren’t fully noticed, which is likely one of the main reasons why he never received a nomination.

However, in Leoni’s case, even though he’s only 18 years old, it’s clear that he’s developing much faster than Van Dijk, with the Italian already making 17 Serie A appearances.

Liverpool need to ease Giovanni Leoni back into things upon his return from injury

In reality, Leoni’s ACL tear couldn’t have come at a worse time for Liverpool.

Not only is Konate in a terrible run of form, but Joe Gomez hasn’t been up to scratch either.

On their day, the aforementioned duo can be two of the Premier League’s best centre-backs, but more often than not this term, they’ve let Liverpool down.

And, to be honest, if Leoni hadn’t got himself injured against Southampton, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him starting against Manchester United on Sunday.

In the short glimpse that Liverpool fans got of him, it was clear that he’s the real deal.

And, even if the Reds are struggling towards the back end of the 2025-26 campaign, they shouldn’t force him into the team before he’s ready.

The Italian could genuinely be Liverpool’s next Van Dijk, that is, as long as Liverpool give him enough time to recover and get back to his best, of course.