His name is Lucho, He come from Porto...

Luis Díaz missed 31 games for Liverpool FC last season through injury. The knee ligament issue he suffered during a 3-2 defeat at Arsenal FC in October 2022 was initially only meant to sideline him for a month, but when the Reds headed to Dubai for a winter training camp ahead of the post-World Cup season restart, Díaz suffered a significant setback.

“He came back when we were in a training camp during the World Cup in Dubai, so we all thought ‘finally back’,” explained Jürgen Klopp. “He trained exceptionally, 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. 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.”

“He’s a natural player. I love him, absolutely love him" - Jurgen Klopp

When Díaz finally returned, making his comeback in a 6-1 win at Leeds United FC in April 2023, he proved his manager’s point. The Reds lost none of the nine games he appeared in, winning seven and drawing two. In contrast, Liverpool had lost 11 and drew six of the 31 games Díaz missed, failing to score in nine of them. One player doesn’t make a team, but the impact of losing him was clear.

His rehabilitation took time and presented ‘Lucho’ with the mental challenge of not being able to do what he loves most - play football. But the 26-year-old from Barrancas managed to retain such a positive focus that by the end he was even enjoying his rehab.

“That was one of the most positive thoughts that I had in my head, and that was one of the things that helped me to get back to normal as I am today. I kept positive and happy as I worked on my recovery and ensured that I actually enjoyed it too. And enjoy it, I really did!

“I worked very hard and I did everything available to make sure I was back at one hundred percent. I think that was one of the major things that helped me to be fully fit again today.”

Seven Heaven

Ahead of the new season Díaz switched from the No23 shirt to No7, after it was vacated by James Milner, and it quickly became obvious in pre-season that he was in sparkling form. The back-heel volley, from Dominik Szoboszlai’s corner, that he scored against SV Darmstadt 98 at Preston North End FC’s Deepdale Stadium was a reminder of what this outstanding attacking talent can do.

But with the likes of Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino and Divock Origi having all moved on in the last 15 months, the responsibility of scoring goals alongside Mo Salah and Diogo Jota now rests with three newer arrivals in Díaz, Darwin Núñez and Cody Gakpo. So does Luis feel under more pressure to perform?

“I’ve felt a bit more of a reference maybe, down to the way the guys in the squad and the coaching staff tend to treat me now, I guess,” he says. “For all that I feel it a little more nowadays, I take it in my stride really and I don’t feel any extra responsibility. I think that is something that we all share equally between us from back to front in this side.

“We have some great players upfront here and so that is a shared responsibility for everyone. We’re all available to the coaching staff for selection, and so whoever is in the side and playing well is going to give their best to help the cause.”

Sizzling Start

Díaz certainly started the campaign well. He got the Reds’ first goal of the season - a clever sliding finish to convert a Salah pass following a flowing move at Chelsea FC - and also Liverpool FC’s first goal of the season at Anfield in a 3-1 victory against AFC Bournemouth.

He was substituted early in the thrilling 2-1 comeback win at Newcastle United FC as Klopp was forced to make a tactical switch following a red card for Virgil van Dijk, but Lucho had almost opened the scoring at St James’ Park too with a pacy dribble and shot that Nick Pope was forced to push wide for a corner.

Clearly full of confidence, Díaz believes the rehab he did to recover from his injury has ultimately left him in better physical condition and is convinced that this is going to be a good season for both himself and Liverpool FC

“On a personal front, it has been a good, even excellent start,” he says. “I’ve really picked up of late, really improved after the injury. I think all the work I did throughout the time I was out was good for me.

“I’ve been feeling in a lot better shape. The pre-season went fantastically well - I was feeling really good throughout - and starting off on the right foot was very important for me and for the team as well.

“I think the team put in a decent performance in spite of the fact that Chelsea played very well themselves. We put in a very solid away performance, picking up a point, which isn’t too bad either. It was down to us to play well in our next home game against Bournemouth and we got the three points, which I think was very important as well.

“I’ve chipped in with some goals and I had some good moments in the games too, but I feel that I still have a lot more to offer. And I know that I’m going to offer even more. As a group, the team looks decent too and feels good. I think this year is going to be a much better one for us.”