It’s only October, but the Reds have already been struck by a grave injury crisis. Luis Diaz has become the latest victim at Anfield after suffering a devastating knee injury in Liverpool’s 3-2 defeat at the hands of Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. Early tests and predictions show that the Colombia international will not recover in time until the FIFA World Cup.
Scans conducted on him in the immediate aftermath of the high-profile affair with the league leaders demonstrate that the winger will not require surgery. However, the serious nature of the injury is expected to keep him out of action until the World Cup in Qatar in November-December which the Colombians failed to qualify for.
It also means that the 25-year-old, who had to leave the Emirates Stadium on crutches with his knee in a brace in order to prevent further damage, could miss up to 10 matches for Jurgen Klopp’s side who have been struggling in the Premier League this season.
Diaz was involved in an innocuous challenge with Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey in the first half of the contest. The contact resulted in knee ligament damage, and he was substituted off immediately for Roberto Firmino.
After losing to Arsenal and now winless in their last three fixtures, Liverpool have slumped to the 10th position in the table. They have won just two of their eight matches so far this season and only have 10 points to show for their efforts after drawing as many as four games.
Diaz will now miss plenty of important matches for Liverpool going forward, including the visit of defending champions Manchester City on Sunday and a trip to Tottenham the following month, as well as Champions League clashes with Rangers, AFC Ajax and Napoli.
