Giovanni Leoni has disappeared a little at Liverpool this season after being hit with a devastating ACL injury in September.
Having only arrived at Anfield the previous month, supporters have hardly seen or heard from the young Italian since his setback.
Happily, Leoni has now spoken out to give an update on his recovery, as well as provide some more context to life at Liverpool so far.
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Despite the cruel blow of missing virtually his full debut season with the Reds, the 19-year-old sounds upbeat as he speaks to Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport.
With the paper keen to get some behind the scenes information on the Liverpool squad, Leoni admitted that Dominik Szoboszlai has a style of play which he has ‘never seen before.’
Giovanni Leoni impressed by Dominik Szoboszlai style
With respect to Parma, Leoni was encountering a whole new level of footballer when he joined Liverpool, starring alongside World Cup, Champions League and Premier League winners.
Asked what had struck him about rubbing shoulders with such high-profile stars, Leoni singled Szoboszlai out for his unique attributes.
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“Technically, they’re almost all monsters; they never lift the ball an inch, and if they do, they apologise,” said the centre-back.
“Virgil van Dijk was the player I looked up to. Szoboszlai has a style of football I’ve never seen before.
“Salah is incredible in the way he prepares physically during the week; he’s always one of the first to arrive, he recovers, he’s obsessed.”
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Leoni reveals Virgil van Dijk support
Although Szoboszlai and Salah have impressed Leoni, it seems to be Van Dijk who has made the biggest impression on him.
When asked who is the loudest in the changing room, the youngster names his captain, and also reveals the conversations he’s had with Van Dijk since his injury.
“Virgil: He has the charisma of a captain,” Leoni said.
“After the injury, he called me right away. I had the same surgery as him, and now we’re talking.”
As Leoni looks to get back to his best following such a significant lay-off, he at least has the perfect role model to help guide him through it.
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