Liverpool striker Luis Diaz will remain sidelined for three months after he underwent successful knee surgery.
The knee problem stems from an injury in Liverpool’s early-season defeat against Arsenal in early October. Thomas Partey and the Colombian international collided. However, Diaz left the game as it was revealed that he damaged the lateral collateral ligament in his left knee.
Originally, the Liverpool medical staff believed that less time would be lost. In fact, he should have been ready to play once the World Cup was over. Consequently, he returned to training with the Anfield club and took part in their brief tour during the World Cup.
However, the striker complained of pain in the same knee in training. After more tests and investigations, the doctors recommended surgery. Now, the striker is out of commission until March.
Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp knows that the injury is a blow to a Liverpool side that has not been in top form this season.
“Honestly, it wasn’t a situation in training,” Klopp said. “Any, [then Diaz] felt something. [He] I didn’t feel much the next day, but we wanted to be very cautious and said, ‘Okay, let’s go. Let’s take a look.
“Then the news came and it was a real blow to the face.”
Luis Díaz’s surgery comes at an inopportune moment
Although the injury damaged Liverpool, he was in a “fine” moment. With the arrival of the World Cup and Colombia’s failure to qualify, it was a month and a half from the designated time for the striker to recover and return to fitness.
Now, Luis Diaz is out until March with this surgery. That includes missing a number of pivotal games across multiple competitions.
For example, Díaz misses at least the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 with Real Madrid. That is scheduled for February 21. However, he could return for the first leg on March 15. However, that would require the striker to have a quick recovery.
Also, Liverpool have cup ties against Manchester City in the League Cup and Wolves in the FA Cup shortly after the players return from the World Cup. Liverpool performed well without Diaz after that game against Arsenal.
The Reds won eight games in all competitions, although they lost twice in the league, keeping the club in sixth place. Even then, the loss of Diaz for an extended period of time puts more pressure on the other forward options available to Klopp.
PHOTO: IMAGO / News Images
