Liverpool forward Luis Diaz continued his rehabilitation from a long-term knee injury as he was pictured on the grass at the club's AXA Training Centre on Thursday afternoon.
The Colombian has not featured for the Reds since he was withdrawn in the first-half of the 3-2 defeat at Arsenal on October 9. Diaz was part of Liverpool's mid-season training camp in Duba but was quickly sent back to the United Kingdom for further surgery after suffering a substantial setback.
While Jurgen Klopp has remained coy on a timeframe for Diaz's return to action, the 26-year-old was named in Liverpool's Champions League squad for the knockout stages earlier this month and is therefore hopeful of being fit for the second leg against Real Madrid on March 15.
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On Thursday, Diaz took a sizeable step towards that landmark as he was pictured running around the perimeter of the Kirkby training fields while the rest of his team-mates continued their preparations for Saturday's trip to St James' Park to face Newcastle United. It is the first time the former FC Porto star has been pictured outdoors since initially taking part in sessions at the NAS Sports Complex in December.
Earlier this month, the Liverpool boss revealed that Diaz was in fact back running and it would take a "few weeks" for him to be prepared for a return to full training.
Meanwhile, there was further positive news on the injury front for Liverpool on Monday evening as they welcomed Diogo Jota and Virgil van Dijk back to the first-team fold after both players had spent a prolonged period on the sidelines.
Jota had not featured since the Reds' 1-0 victory over Manchester City on October 16 and was able to announce his comeback with a late cameo during the 2-0 victory over Everton. Van Dijk, however, was only fit enough for the bench but could be deemed fit enough to make a return to action when Liverpool welcome Real Madrid to Anfield next week.
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