Liverpool have received a huge setback in their preparation for the second half of the season as key man Luis Diaz has left the Reds’ training camp in Dubai after suffering a setback in his recovery from a knee injury.
The players that are not at the World Cup are part of a mid-season camp and are working towards a match with Lyon on Sunday, and one of the big boosts for Reds fans as they travelled to the Middle East was the return of Diaz to training with the first team.
According to The Athletic, the Colombia international only returned to parts of team training on Tuesday following eight weeks on the sidelines but has now complained of discomfort in the same knee as his injury and the decision was taken for him to return to the UK.
The pacey winger will now undergo a scan to determine the extent of the problem with Jurgen Klopp facing an anxious wait as the 25-year-old is key to his Liverpool team that are trying to bounce back from a poor start to the season.
Klopp said about the injury via The Athletic: “It’s all good [fitness-wise] with the boys who are here. What’s not good is we have to see with Lucho. He felt something and we need to have further assessment there, but apart from that they all look really, really good.”
Up until his injury, which was suffered against Arsenal back in early October, Diaz was Liverpool’s biggest attacking threat and the Reds will not want him out for a long period of time.
Liverpool return to action against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup on December 22, which Diaz is now likely to miss along with the rest of the crucial holiday period.