Insider: Luis Diaz may not be fully fit until next season after ‘big’ Liverpool twist
Luis Diaz may only return to his pre-injury levels for Liverpool at the beginning of the 2023-24 season after “devastating” update.
That is the view of medical expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in injury and data analysis, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.
Diaz was due to return this month from a knee injury he suffered in Liverpool’s 3-2 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates in October.
BBC Sport reported earlier this week (14 December) that the 25-year-old has suffered a setback and will now be out for a further three months after undergoing surgery on his knee.
Jurgen Klopp described the situation as a “slap in the face” and a “big disappointment”.
“It’s difficult,” Dinnery told Football Insider‘s Connor Whitley.
“You always like to contextualise, and we see players on the training pitch without necessarily returning to training or returning to play and a return to play is not necessarily a return to performance.
“We’ll be talking about a player who has missed several months of football who could potentially be thrown into the deep end. We expect him to return in March or April when Liverpool could be pushing for a trophy or two.
“A lot will depend on the availability of other players in Jurgen Klopp’s squad and what will allow him to manage players better.
“If you still have Diogo Jota sidelined and there’s a problem with Roberto Firmino, Darwin Nunez or Mohamed Salah, that may force Klopp’s hand into more risks further down the line.
“Ideally, he might see the backend of the season as an opportunity for him to get fully fit and integrated into the squad. We may see some good performances towards the end of the season but because of those injury problems, there may be some issues with his consistency.”
Ex-Leeds striker Noel Whelan is in no doubt about Diaz’s importance to the team.
“This is a devastating setback for Klopp and Liverpool,” he said. “Diaz was the best player at Liverpool before he got injured, and losing him for an extended period is huge”.
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