Jurgen Klopp is always vocal on the welfare of his players and it seems that the deliberate decision to be slow about Luis Diaz’s return from injury, has benefitted us all in the long-run.
Speaking with the media ahead of facing Fulham, the 55-year-old spoke about the Colombian: “What a goal [against Tottenham]. Great, super, already in the game before when he came on it was a really nice watch. We gave him now hopefully enough time that everything can settle.
“He is in training for a while, started really well in training and then how it is after long-term injuries, you can see the power level decreased slightly and then they lack the sharpness here and there – that’s where we just let him be and let him go through this.
“Now we picked him first time for the first line-up and it was top. That he cannot play 90 minutes was clear but for long spells and as long as he was on the pitch he was really, really strong.
“So, very good news for us.”
Our No.23 was arguably our best player before the injury he sustained in October and with just five games remaining this season, it’s a fine balance between giving him the game time he wants but also ensuring no further issues flare up.
Let’s hope that this patience will be rewarded in the long-term, with some impressive performances in the short-term too!
You can watch Klopp’s comments on Diaz (from 13:44) via Liverpool FC on YouTube: