Luis Diaz seems to have Liverpool a welcome boost ahead of their return to Premier League action.
The Times has reported that Diaz has now returned to full Liverpool team training after recovering from a knee injury. However, it has been stated that a start against Manchester City in the Premier League this weekend may be too soon, but that he could be on the bench.
Diaz suffered a serious knee injury on October 9 in the 3-2 defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League and has been sidelined ever since.
There was initially hope that the Colombia international could return after the conclusion of the World Cup. However, Diaz suffered a setback and required further surgery which lengthened his recovery.
With Diaz now returning to training, the ECHO takes a look at the latest regarding his injury, including a possible return date, what Klopp has said, and more.
What Jurgen Klopp has said about Luis Diaz
Back in February, Klopp spoke at length about Diaz’s current fitness levels and hopes for the season.
Klopp said that he expected the forward to have an impact in the latter stages of Liverpool’s campaign. The Reds have 12 Premier League fixtures remaining this season.
The German was asked for a comparison to when Diaz joined Liverpool in January last year from Porto.
"It's a different situation to last season," said Klopp on February 28. "He came here having played all the games for Porto pretty much and now he's out with an injury for the second time.
"I can tell you the two sessions he had with us in Dubai in the training camp, it was like 'oh my God, how good is that?'. Then he was injured again.
"When he is back he will be really good and very impactful, of course. That is clear. How quickly, I don't know. We have to see. That's the big challenge in these moments. There's no time for being patient but you have to be patient.
"I'm positive about him that there's a good chance to have a real impact in 10, 11, 12 games maybe. We will see how long it exactly takes.
"It's estimated that maybe next week he will be warming up with the team and then maybe a week later being in team training. That would be cool. But you always have to wait. On Tuesday I saw a very intense session, a lot of change of direction and stuff like this, if there is no reaction from that then he can make the next step. Then I think he is not too far away."
Luis Diaz training latest
Diaz returned to full team training before Liverpool face Manchester City on April 1.
Diaz has been stepping up his rehabilitation at the AXA Training Centre in recent weeks. Last week, he was spotted running on the grass as the rest of the squad went through their paces in preparation for the second leg against Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Now the 26-year-old is primed to take full part in team training when the rest of the squad returns in the latter stages of the international break.
Possible Luis Diaz return date
No fixed return date has been named for when Diaz will be back available for Liverpool.
Given Liverpool hope that he will return to full training before the end of the international break, there is a chance that he could play a part against Manchester City on April 1, but it would likely be from the substitutes bench at best.
However, in order for that to happen, Diaz will need to take part in at least two full training sessions with the rest of the team. Klopp likes to have his players feature in two sessions before being available for Liverpool’s next match.
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