Luis Diaz has been sent home from Liverpool’s training camp in Dubai following an injury setback.
The Colombian winger sustained a knee injury in the Reds’ 3-2 defeat against Arsenal in October, and has been building up to a return after the World Cup.
However, Diaz has reportedly felt discomfort in his knee and will return to England for further assessments. The news suggests that he was perhaps in need of surgery and the return to training came slightly too soon.
Fans will now anxiously wait for an update to learn the extent of his injury setback, with Diaz becoming such a pivotal player in the Liverpool attack since moving to Anfield from Porto last January.
This is a big blow for Jurgen Klopp who has already lost Diogo Jota for a lengthy period. Jota has missed the World Cup and will not be ready for action until the New Year. The expectation for Diaz was different though, with the Dubai Super Cup referenced as the time to get minutes on the clock.
With the World Cup coming to an end next weekend, the focus will soon turn back to club football and the return of the Premier League. Liverpool’s first game after the break is against Champions Manchester City in the Carabao Cup, where it seems they will now be without Diaz.
Diaz has made a big impact over the past 12 months, bringing an energy to the side to become an instant crowd pleaser. With big clashes against Real Madrid in the Champions League last 16 in a couple of months, the availability of Diaz could be crucial.
Thankfully for Klopp, Uruguay international Darwin Nunez’s early return from the World Cup ensures that the Reds boss will have a few options to get through the busy post-World-Cup schedule.
The main hope now is that the influential Diaz’s setback is not a long-term one, as Liverpool look to fight on four fronts.
