Theo Walcott makes ‘massive’ Diogo Jota claim as Liverpool attacker returns vs Fulham

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Liverpool managed to rescue a point at Anfield against Fulham having gone down to 10-men, with Diogo Jota the hero on the day.

The £45m attacker made a dramatic return to action having missed the last 11 games for Liverpool due to a rib injury, with Jota coming off the bench with just over 10 minutes to go to score an equalising goal for the Reds with a fantastic move and finish.

With rumours speculating that Jota could leave Liverpool in 2025 with Arne Slot’s transfer team eyeing up an attacking signing next year, the former Wolves star showed this weekend against Fulham why he still has a big role to play for the Reds in this new era for the club.

And Theo Walcott has now shared why Liverpool need to be doing all they can to keep Jota fit having returned from injury.

Jota backed for ‘important’ Liverpool role after Fulham cameo

Speaking on Match of the Day, the former Arsenal and Everton attacker has predicted Jota to carve out an ‘important’ role for himself at Liverpool having shown against Fulham why he is one of the most efficient forwards in the Premier League.

With Paul Merson backing Jota to become Liverpool’s starting striker again, the Portuguese international could become a reliable source of goals for the Reds, easing the burden currently placed on Mohamed Salah.

And Walcott has predicted big things for Jota, with the pundit saying: “They kept going and they played with such energy, and when you bring on a player like Jota, who’s been out for the last six league games, he’s been a massive miss.

“His awareness of space, where players need to be in better positions, he’s such a clever player, he scans so he knows where his teammates are, and it’s a smart finish from a smart play, he always comes up with these important goals, and he’s going to be so important coming back to fitness.”

What else has been said about Jota this season?

Walcott’s praise for Jota was more than warranted, with the former Wolves man coming off from the bench to secure Liverpool an important point having not played for the Reds in months.

And Jota’s late strike against Fulham has so far been the highlight of the attacker’s season, with the Portuguese media slamming the Liverpool forward earlier in the year after a poor performance against Scotland in the UEFA Nations League.

Indeed, Jota’s comeback could not have been better for the Reds, and the versatile striker will want to show how good he can be in Slot’s system having fully returned from injury after missing 11 games for the Premier League leaders.