Liverpool could get Luis Diaz back in action in time for the club’s first competitive clash of the second half of the season: a Carabao Cup fixture with Manchester City.
The Colombian full-back is set to take an active part in team training at the club’s Dubai-based hot-weather training ground after a rehabilitation program at AXA’s training ground.
“The break was not something that Klopp wanted. He has been a vocal critic of both the scheduling of a winter World Cup and the decision to hold the tournament in Qatar given the moral issues,” James Pearce wrote for The Athletic.
“But the break in the domestic campaign has allowed Liverpool’s injury situation to clear up considerably. Most significantly, Luis Díaz is now fit to resume team training in Dubai. The talented Colombian attacker has not played since he suffered a knee injury away from Arsenal in early October.
“While many of his teammates have been lounging on the beach relaxing in recent weeks, Diaz was playing on the hardcourts completing his rehab at the AXA Training Center in Kirkby and everything went according to plan. The hope is that he gets enough training under his belt to play some role in friendly matches.”
The Merseysiders are currently in sixth place with 22 points, seven behind fourth-placed Tottenham (albeit with one game to go) and continue to feature in all cup competitions.
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Despite what some would call a ‘disastrous’ start to the campaign, being just four points off the advertised Champions League places in real terms (assuming we win at Aston Villa in late December) should be an encouraging sign.
While Darwin Nunez has been thriving on the left side of the front three for us, there is no doubt that having our power winger available for competitive matches would be a huge boost for the remainder of the season.
There are comparatively more serious issues that need to be addressed regardless, of course, chief among them being the need for reinforcements in the middle of the park, though we’ve sorely missed having quality in-depth available.
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