Luis Diaz has been told by Liverpool goalkeeper Adrian that he must improve even further next season.
Speaking to liverpoolfc.com, Adrian said that he’s been telling his younger teammate how important the coming campaign will be for him.
“Luis in his first season with us was incredible, and we hope he keeps going at that and Darwin adapts so quick as well,” said the 35-year-old.
“He [Diaz] never stops, he’s very lively, he’s very creative – dribbling, shooting. It’s a top player and he showed it already in the first season with us. This season it’s going to be important because he put the level quite high, I told him before. Now he has to keep that level or even improve it.”
Big things are expected of Diaz after a scintillating first six months at the club. We have a special player on our hands.
Big season ahead for Diaz
There’s no need to put any additional pressure on Diaz, but he potentially does now have a target on his back.
Arriving in January, he was an unknown to most Premier League defences. Faced with his pace and directness, many – like Tottenham’s Cristian Romero – didn’t know how to handle him.
That will be different this season. Without the surprise factor to call upon, Diaz may have to find other ways to bamboozle his opponents. But knowing what he’s going to do and stopping it are two different things, so maybe not.
With Sadio Mane gone, the Colombian should now be Liverpool’s first-choice left-winger. Diaz is more than capable of filling that role, but does need to start adding a few more goals to his game.
Without Mane, The Reds have lost a considerable goal threat. Diaz needs to up his game to match that output. Darwin Nunez should help in that respect too, and it’ll be interesting to see the former stars of Benfica and Porto link up together.
There’s a chance that we’ll see the two combing for the first time later today against Crystal Palace. If Liverpool are to go one, or two, better than last season then they’ll need those two to strike up an understanding sooner rather than later.
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