Thursday was a good day for Liverpool fans. At long, long last, they were treated to the sight of a smiling Luis Diaz taking part in full team training.
It was exactly the boost the Reds needed heading into a week that will – in all likelihood – define their season. Having Diaz back to take on Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal is absolutely huge.
Having previously seen a premature return to training end in a three-month setback, Liverpool will be loathe to rush the Colombian back again. The last thing they, and Diaz himself needs is another issue. As a result we may not see Diaz from the start in any of the Reds next three massive games.
But as per Lucho’s most recent post on Twitter, he feels he’s ready. Uploading a quartet of pictures from yesterday’s session, Diaz simply wrote ‘Feeling good’ alongside three emojis: a wide grin, a football and a bulging bicep.
He’s ready Jurgen, throw him in against City, let him loose again! Fantastic to have you back, Luis.
Diaz ready to put Liverpool on his back
Despite Diaz’s positive intimations, it would be a real surprise to see him on the teamsheet for tomorrow’s big game.
Of course, there are certain players who are so important that you simply play them if they’re fit, no matter how long they’ve been out.
We saw with Virgil van Dijk that Klopp isn’t averse to doing that. The Dutchman played relentlessly following his comeback from a 10-month absence in 2021. Whatever the opposite of ‘eased in’ is, that’s the treatment Virgil got.
Although not quite comparable to Van Dijk’s situation, Diaz may well fall into a similar bracket of importance for Liverpool right now. His impact last season was instantaneous. The Colombian carried that on into this campaign too, where he was one of the Reds best players before getting injured.
So, you wouldn’t find many fans complaining if Diaz were to start at the Etihad tomorrow lunchtime. After firing back-to-back blanks against Bournemouth and Real Madrid, Liverpool could do with his goal threat.
Still, we don’t think Klopp will risk it. He has plenty of other options and Diaz from the bench could be exactly what the Reds need at some stage on Saturday. Either way, how good is it to have him available again.