From the very first friendly back in last July, there was a determination from Luis Diaz to make up for time lost to injury during a miserable previous campaign for both himself and Liverpool.
And with only Virgil van Dijk going on to feature for more competitive minutes this season for the Reds, Diaz can be satisfied in extracting the most from an impressive term.
Nobody, though, had quite a campaign as the Colombian. Now there is very much a sense the player is reaching a crossroads in his Anfield career following the departure of Jurgen Klopp as manager.
End-of-season ratings:
Alisson Becker
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Ibrahima Konate
Diaz’s impressive pre-season form carried into the start of the Premier League with goals against Chelsea and Bournemouth in the opening two games, and then netting in the first Europa League group match against LASK Linz in Austria. But then came a period in which the one criticism of Diaz’s game – a lack of end product – became evident in the top flight.
Such concerns were insignificant when it emerged his parents had been kidnapped in Colombia in late October. His mother was only briefly held captive but it was more than a week until his father was released, and while Diaz during that time memorably came off the bench to score a late equaliser at Luton Town and unveil a message calling for the release of his dad, the episode understandably affected his game for a period.
That all changed with an assist for Diogo Jota from the bench in the win at Burnley on Boxing Day, after which Diaz began to deliver the numbers, eight goals and five assists to go with his relentless performances down the left. They were often big goals, such as the FA Cup win at Arsenal and the League Cup semi-final at Fulham. He started every game in the second half of the Premier League season, one of Klopp’s most trusted lieutenants.
This year, though, has been played out with the backdrop of interest from elsewhere. Both Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona have been strongly linked for months with Diaz, his father regularly flirting with the Spanish media over a move to La Liga.
The latest suggestion from Spain is Barcelona, despite their money worries, would be willing to pay £75m for a player the Reds brought from Porto for £50m in January 2022, with Diaz’s father having suggested his son is a fan of the Catalans.
How that ultimately transpires will depend on the role incoming head coach Arne Slot envisages Diaz playing next season, the desire of the player himself and whether Liverpool feel the time and financial situation is right to cash in on the 27-year-old.
Having been a success story of the season, Diaz could now become a major talking point for the summer with the Reds.
End-of-season rating: 7
