Jurgen Klopp has bemoaned the “proper smash in the face” Liverpool have suffered due to Luis Diaz's injury setback.
The Colombian has been out of action since October after suffering a knee problem in a defeat against Arsenal. He made his return to training earlier this week after the Reds travelled to Dubai for a midseason camp whilst the Premier League has a break for the World Cup.
However, it was subsequently confirmed that former Porto star Diaz has suffered a setback in his recovery and has flown back to England to undergo further testing and scans on the injury. Speaking after the Reds’ 3-1 friendly defeat by French side Lyon on Sunday, Klopp hit out at Liverpool’s bad fortune when it comes to the winger’s fitness.
He said: "Yeah, he [Diaz] was not in the best possible place. It's clear it's a big disappointment for all of us, for him as well. It was a non-situation in training, honestly. Nothing [then he] felt something. [He] didn't feel a lot next day but we wanted to be really cautious and said, 'OK, come on, let's have a look'. Yeah, then the news came and it was a proper smash in the face. But that's it now."
Liverpool’s worries were added to considerably during their game against Lyon, with youngster Harvey Elliott being withdrawn with a problem just half an hour into the clash. Klopp has moved to allay worries over his fitness, though.
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"Harvey got a knock before we scored, Harvey got a knock. But I think we were lucky,” he said. "He looks fine now but he feels it, that's normal, there was contact. But I hope we were lucky in that moment."
Klopp will hope that remains the case as he prepares his squad for a return to domestic action. The Reds take on Manchester City in the Carabao Cup before Christmas, whilst their first Premier League assignment is against Aston Villa on Boxing Day.
Liverpool’s squad will be bolstered by the return of the club’s stars who have been playing at the World Cup with Klopp revealing when they are expected to rejoin their teammates.
The German continued: “ Darwin Nunez will join us tomorrow and the others... everybody gets a week off after the World Cup to reset mind and body. And then we play pretty quick, 22nd of December, we play Man City in the [Carabao] Cup. So, that's as tough as it gets and yeah that's it.”
Ahead of those assignments, Liverpool also have another mid-season friendly to navigate; they take on Serie A champions AC Milan next weekend.
