Journalist Matt Addison stated on the Blood Red YouTube channel that it is ‘fantastic’ to see Liverpool’s Luis Diaz back from injury.
The Athletic reported that his rehab went according to plan and the Colombian is ‘now in a position to resume team training in Dubai’.
Diaz sustained a knee injury back in October and was last seen in the Reds’ 3-2 defeat to Arsenal.
His expected return is thought to be around the new year, so by the start of 2023, Diaz could be up for selection again.
Here’s what Addison had to say on Diaz’s return: “It’s fantastic to see Luis Diaz back. Obviously, a few other players still to come back, but Liverpool, I think, have certainly missed him in the time that he’s been away.
“He got injured mid-October I think it was, against Arsenal, wasn’t it, so he’s been out a decent amount of time. Hopefully, this break has come at the right time, really.
“I mean, normally in December, Liverpool would have eight, nine, maybe more fixtures to play. The fact that he’s been injured in this period is probably not the worst thing; he could have missed a lot more matches in a normal season.
“Hopefully, the recovery can continue on that same course, but it does look like he’s going to be back pretty much ready to go when the fixtures come back for Liverpool.”
TIF Thoughts on Addison’s comments…
We believe that Diaz will be a big boost for Liverpool when he returns and Reds fans will be delighted to hear he’s close to coming back.
It’s been an underwhelming season for Liverpool so far. They’re sixth in the league and are 15 points off league leaders Arsenal.
The 25-year-old joined the club last January from Porto, costing them a fee potentially rising to £49m.
Before his injury, the Colombian was a key attacking threat for them. In the current Premier League campaign, he has five goal contributions in eight matches.
What further proves that Diaz is a real threat for Liverpool is that he’s in the top 9% for dribbles completed, the top 7% for progressive passes received and the top 10% for shots among players in his position over the past year (as per FBref), so we can see why Addison seems so relieved to have him back.
Come the second half of the season, we feel the Reds could really do with his attacking intent to help them push for a Champions League spot.