Luis Diaz made a highly anticipated return to playing action on Monday night, coming on for Liverpool in the final ten minutes of their 1-6 win against Leeds on Monday night.
Diaz had been out since before the World Cup started, having suffered a knee injury back in October which saw him undergo surgery. This has led to Liverpool being without one of their best attacking threats for a number of months in what has turned out to be a difficult season for the Reds.
With his return coming in a 1-6 win against Leeds, there will be optimism on Merseyside that the 26-year-old Colombian can provide some of the spark which he showed in the early months of the season to help salvage European football for Klopp. However, what might often go unnoticed is the emotional toll that such injuries take on players' families.
This was reflected in a message which was shared by Diaz's wife, Gera Ponce, on Instagram today, with the winger's return being celebrated by his family. She wrote (in Spanish, translated to English): "How immense the admiration and the pride you make us feel. The most sublime moment after all this recovery time is seeing you enter [the field] again.
"That feeling we missed so much. And obviously you. More than anyone. You wanted today. I confirm that all the sacrifice and the difficult moments throughout these months have been worth every second. That God is good and his time is perfect.
"I love you so much and I am so happy to know you are back doing what makes you happy. Go my champion!"
Diaz had scored ten goals in his first 38 appearances for Liverpool, all of which came in 2022, but now with his return he has been welcomed back by the club. This is a sentiment which has been echoed by manager Jurgen Klopp, who explained how he felt like a 'new signing' in his pre-match press conference last week, Klopp even lauded the player's personal progress in the past six months.
He said: "Absolutely it is (like having a new signing). He's developed massively. His English is getting better, so he is really settled. He was here every day,' Klopp said.
"He really matured again, much more comfortable than he was in the beginning with everything in a new country. He is like a breath of fresh air every day he is in training. He loves it out there, I said in the beginning when he came that he cannot train without a smile on his face and that's something really special and that's exactly how he acts now."
Diaz signed for the Reds in January 2022 in a deal worth 45m euros (£37.5m) from Portuguese club, Porto, and the winger announced his return with a message of his Instagram after the match, in a post which read: “So happy to be back, amazing three points,”
