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Liverpool winger Luis Diaz is set be sidelined until after the World Cup, with Jurgen Klopp confirming the knee injury he sustained against Arsenal will keep him out for six to eight weeks.
The 25-year-old, a January buy from Porto who played a key role in Liverpool’s FA Cup and EFL Cup triumphs last season, was forced off before half-time against the Gunners on Sunday.
While initial scans showed Diaz will not need to undergo surgery, he is nevertheless ruled out for the foreseeable future, with a return to action unlikely until the festive period.
Diaz was not the only Liverpool player to sustain an injury at the Emirates Stadium, with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joel Matip joining him in the treatment room.
Speaking to the media ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League meeting with Rangers, Klopp revealed the expected timeframe for Diaz’s recovery and expressed relief his injury was not worse.
“I thought we were a little bit lucky with Trent because ankle didn’t look good,” Klopp said on Tuesday.
“Lucho [Diaz], it’s six to eight weeks or whatever. He looks a quick healer, but we have to be careful. It could have been worse. It’s not great, but it’s the situation, and we have to deal with it.
“Joel felt his calf a little bit and had a scan and is out as well.”
While both Alexander-Arnold and Matip are only expected to return in good time before the mid-season pause, Diaz’s injury represents a blow to Liverpool’s hopes of reviving their flagging Premier League title bid.
Diaz has scored four goals in 12 appearances in all competitions this season, a tally only bettered by Roberto Firmino (six) and Mohamed Salah (five) among Liverpool players.
Klopp’s team will host Southampton in their final Premier League match before the World Cup break on November 12, and they resume with a trip to Aston Villa on December 26, by which time Diaz is expected to have returned to fitness.
