Jurgen Klopp has heaped praise on Liverpool forward Luis Diaz ahead of the Premier League game against Manchester United.
The winger has done well since joining in January, and the German manager believes he has shown his quality.
With the Reds next facing Manchester United, Klopp was full of praise for Diaz, who is likely to start. Speaking about the start of the winger’s career at Anfield, the German manager said:
“He had to play immediately because two boys were at the Africa Cup of Nations, so that helped him settle in. That gave him immediate confidence. It’s his quality, his talent, his skillset. He’s a really good player.
“We knew it before and when you’re really good, it’s easier to settle in. He has this special thing: He can score from outside the box, which for a striker is really important. He’s very, very important for us.”
Liverpool signed Diaz in January from FC Porto after Tottenham and West Ham United made moves for him. The Colombian turned out to be a suitable replacement for Sadio Mane, who left for Bayern Munich this summer.
Liverpool manager defends Luis Diaz
Luis Diaz’s finishing has been a question raised by many fans, but the goal against Crystal Palace silenced the detractors. The winger scored the equalizer to help the Reds secure a 1-1 draw after Darwin Nunez was sent off.
Klopp spoke about the winger’s finishing earlier this week and told the club website:
“Not with Luis specifically. We don’t take him out. ‘Because the other two scored and you didn’t, come on here, I show you how.’ It’s unnecessary. It’s not even a problem, it’s just the moment. But, of course, we do finishing and that helps him, like it helps the others.
“We spoke last week about it when Sadio left, everybody was, ‘How can you play without Sadio?’ In November, December… everybody thought when he will score the next goal, but he’s starting all the time, so these kind of things.”
Liverpool are 12th in the Premier League table after drawing their first two matches. They take on Manchester United, who are at the bottom of the table after losing both their games.