It was an “absolutely horrible” situation for Luis Diaz in December, when the winger suffered a recurrence of his knee ligament injury in Dubai.
Diaz was nearing his comeback as the Reds headed to Dubai for a mid-season training camp in December, only for a freak issue in training to sideline him again.
The No. 23 had avoided surgery on the initial injury suffered back in October, but then went under the knife to repair damage which effectively kept him out for six months.
Now in the squad and starting two of the last three games, Jurgen Klopp has his “very special player” back, as he relished in an interview with the club’s official website.
“[He] came back when were in a training camp during the World Cup in Dubai, so we all thought, ‘finally back’,” Klopp said.
“He trained exceptional, absolutely exceptional, and he slipped only a little bit on the grass, felt something, kept going on, everything is fine.
“After training, ‘yeah, I feel a little bit. Let’s see’. Another scan, out for another three months or whatever.
“Horrible, absolutely horrible.
“He’s a natural player. I love him, absolutely love him. It’s unbelievable.
“He’s so football smart, moving in the right areas, naturally defending from his position, goal threat, speed, cheeky.
“Very, very special player, I have to say. We missed him a lot.”
The situation around Diaz’s re-injury shows the fine margins that players are often working with when it comes to their fitness.
A slight slip can cause major damage, particularly for those on the comeback trail, which goes some length to explaining why players at times seem to be out for longer than they perhaps should.
With Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo both brought in since Diaz’s explosive arrival last January, there were questions over where the Colombian would fit in.
But he has immediately reclaimed key status upon his return, with Klopp likely to build around his direct brand of wide play moving forward.
“There are a few explanations for our situation,” the manager added, having also listed Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino‘s injuries and Nunez’s tricky adaptation.
“But you have to take life like it is and make the best of it, and that’s what you do in football as well.”
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