‘After the issues he’s dealt with, he deserves so much credit. You want to see a player taking players on, showing their skills, scoring goals. Luis Diaz is that guy’: Liverpool star impressing with strong performances, especially after difficult period

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 27: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Luis Díaz of Liverpool during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD5 match between Liverpool FC and Real Madrid C.F. at Anfield on November 27, 2024 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Nikki Dyer - LFC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images).

Liverpool have started the 2024/25 season extremely strongly, with a number of key players having impressed during Arne Slot's first season in charge.

Luis Diaz seems the Liverpool player who has most benefitted from the Dutchman's arrival, however, with the Colombian adding a lot more consistency to his game.

Emile Heskey spent four-and-a-half seasons at Liverpool in the early 2000s, winning multiple trophies for the Reds. The former Reds striker has been particularly impressed with the way Diaz started the season, with the Colombian forward putting a difficult year behind him, which involved his parents being kidnapped in October 2023.

Liverpool reaping benefits of Luis Diaz's performances

Diaz celebrates scoring at Anfield (Image credit: Getty Images)

“After the issues he’s had to deal with off the field, he deserves so much credit, because he’s been fantastic,” Heskey tells FFT.

“He had big boots to fill when Sadio Mane left, because Mane was such a brilliant player for Liverpool, and had such a crucial role. For me, Mane was arguably the best player at Liverpool during his time at the club – Mo Salah has been amazing, but for work rate and overall output, I think Mane was slightly ahead of him.

Heskey has been particularly impressed with Diaz this term (Image credit: Getty Images)

"I like watching Diaz, too, he’s exciting. You want to see a player taking players on, showing their skills, scoring goals. Diaz is that guy.”

That skillset has been particularly evident this term under Slot. Operating both from his natural left-wing and centrally, Diaz has become a key member of the starting XI and is following a similar trajectory to how Sadio Mane fared during his time at Anfield.

Initially arriving as a left-winger, Mane gradually moved more centrally during the latter part of his time at Liverpool as Roberto Firmino's powers waned. This slight positional change has allowed Diaz to stay more involved in the game as a result, with the 27-year-old afforded the luxury of picking the ball up in different areas of the pitch, dribbling at opponents and taking shots he wouldn't necessarily have considered.

As a result, he's comfortably on course to surpass his best goalscoring season in the Premier League of eight, while his performances are also proving better, too.