Jurgen Klopp has reacted to the injury news surrounding Liverpool winger Luis Diaz.
Taking to his post-match press conference following his side’s 3-1 defeat to Lyon, the Reds manager spoke of his disappointment with the Colombian’s injury setback.
“Yeah, he was not in the best possible place,” he said.
“It’s clear it’s a big disappointment for all of us, for him as well.
“It was a non-situation in training, honestly – nothing, felt something. [He] didn’t feel a lot next day but we wanted to be really cautious and said, ‘OK, come on, let’s have a look.’
“Yeah, then the news came and it was a proper smash in the face. But that’s it now.”
The attacker had already been out of action since October with a knee injury. However, just a few days into the team’s training camp out in Dubai, the 25-year-old suffered a major setback in his recovery.
According to Colombian journalist Pipe Sierra, Diaz is now set to undergo surgery on his knee. As a result, he isn’t expected to play again until March.
Klopp fumes over Diaz’s injury woes
This news will come as a huge blow to Liverpool. At the start of the season when the side looked completely lost on the pitch, Diaz was one of the only bright sparks in Klopp’s squad.
His electric pace and daring runs saved the Reds on a number of occasions, particularly when the other attackers did not look like scoring.
The World Cup was extremely inconvenient with its scheduling in the middle of winter. However, at the same time, it helped the likes of Diaz and co out with their recovery. Instead of missing weeks’ worth of games on the medical table, the break allowed the forward to focus on getting back to full fitness without having to rush.
Having returned just in time for the Premier League season to resume, the injury news will come as a major blow to the manager’s plans.
This could even force Liverpool into the transfer market in January.
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