Liverpool forward Luis Diaz is set to miss his team’s trip to face Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Diaz has been injured since October, but has recently been spotted stepping up his recovery. This had led to some hope that the Colombian could be back in time for the trip to Spain.
However, as per The Daily Mail, that now isn’t going to happen. It’s claimed that although Diaz has indeed ‘increased the intensity’ of his rehab, it won’t lead to an early comeback.
The good news is that the 26-year-old reportedly hasn’t suffered any setbacks since re-injuring himself in training last December.
As a result, Jurgen Klopp is said to be expecting his No.23 to still have time to make an impact on Liverpool’s season. Just not in Madrid.
Liverpool still waiting on Diaz
The Mail also carry quotes from Klopp on Diaz’s situation. Specifically, it sounds like the manager is expecting the forward to be feature for a maximum of 12 more games this campaign.
“I’m positive about him that there’s a good chance to have a real impact in 10, 11, 12 games maybe,” said the Liverpool manager.
“We will see how long it exactly takes. It’s estimated that maybe next week he will be warming up with the team and then maybe a week later being in team training. That would be cool.”
All being well, that should hopefully see Lucho return for what looks like a pretty gruelling first week of April for Liverpool.
Travelling to face Manchester City on April 1st, the Reds make the trip to Stamford Bridge three days later. The week then concludes with league leaders Arsenal visiting Anfield on the Sunday.
In Liverpool’s current form, that looks like a hellishly difficult seven days to navigate. But it will be all the more palatable if Diaz is ready to play a part. The Reds have really missed him this season. We’ll have to make do without Lucho for a little while longer, but there’s finally light at the end of the tunnel.