Liverpool's Luis Diaz out until March after surgery

Liverpool forward Luis Diaz will remain on the sidelines for three months after he had successful surgery on his knee.

The knee issue stems from an injury in Liverpool’s loss against Arsenal earlier in the campaign in early October. Thomas Partey and the Colombian international collided. However, Diaz left the game due as it was revealed he damaged is lateral collateral ligament in his left knee.

Originally, Liverpool’s medical staff believed he would miss less time. In fact, he should have been ready to play once the World Cup finished. Consequently, he returned to training with the Anfield club and participated in its brief tour during the World Cup.

However, the forward complained of pain on the same knee in training. Upon further testing and investigation, doctors recommended surgery. Now, the forward is out of commission until March.

Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp knows the injury is a blow for a Liverpool side that has not been in top form this season.

“It was a non-situation in training, honestly,” Klopp said. “Nothing, [then Diaz] felt something. [He] didn’t feel a lot next day but we wanted to be really cautious and said, ‘okay, come on. Let’s have a look.

“Then the news came and it was a proper smash in the face.”

Luis Diaz surgery comes at inopportune time

While the injury damaged Liverpool, it was at an ‘okay’ time. With the World Cup coming, and Colombia failing to qualify, it was a month and a half of designated time for the forward to heal and return to fitness.

Now, Luis Diaz is out through March with this surgery. That includes missing a number of pivotal games across multiple competitions.

For example, Diaz misses at least the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 tie with Real Madrid. That is set for Feb. 21. However, he could potentially return for the March 15 away leg. Yet, that would require the forward to have a hasty recovery.

Also, Liverpool has cup ties against Manchester City in the League Cup and Wolves in the FA Cup soon after players return from the World Cup. Liverpool performed well without Diaz following that game against Arsenal.

The Reds won eight games in all competitions, even if it did lose twice in league play, keeping the club in sixth. Even then, the loss of Diaz for an extended period of time puts more strain on the other forward options at Klopp’s disposal.

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