Medical insider: Liverpool may be without Luis Diaz for longer than first feared
There is no guarantee Luis Diaz will return to full fitness for Liverpool after the World Cup.
That is the view of medical expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in injury and data analysis.
Diaz was forced off with a knee injury before half time of Liverpool’s 3-2 loss to Arsenal on Sunday (9 October).
Sky Sports reported on Monday (10 October) that the 25-year-old will not be available until after the World Cup.
Liverpool’s first game after the tournament is a trip to Aston Villa on Boxing Day.
“The difficulty is not just for Luis Diaz who is going to miss a large chunk of Premier League football,” Dinnery told Football Insider correspondent Connor Whitley.
“You’re going to have this winter shutdown so there are a lot of players who aren’t involved in the tournament or those who go away with their national teams and are on the fringes of the squad so are not getting the minutes.
“This is unprecedented. We just simply don’t know how it will work and what impact it will have on the second half of the season.
“No amount of non-competitive friendlies, bounce games, work on the training pitch can really replicate the cut and thrust of the Premier League.
“We’re talking two-and-a-half-months before Luis Diaz will be playing competitive football again.
“He’ll be then thrown into a high-octane competitive environment where the fixtures are coming thick and fast and we typically see high instances of injuries.
“You are almost creating this perfect storm for players. Not just in December or January but the second half of the season.
“It’s difficult for those players who are going to the World Cup and also how you manage those who are not involved or haven’t travelled.”
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