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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Matt C Jones

Colombia hero names moment that shows Luis Diaz is 'being eaten up by anxiety' at Liverpool

Former Colombia international Faustino Asprilla believes Luis Diaz is playing with "anxiety" in the early weeks of his Liverpool career.

The Reds moved quickly at the end of the January transfer window to land the Porto winger, agreeing a deal worth as much as £49.5 million for his signature.

Diaz had excelled in the Portuguese top flight and in the Champions League before the move and in the early weeks of his Liverpool spell there have been numerous positive signs.

The 25-year-old's dribbling skill and speed have given manager Jurgen Klopp a fresh dimension in attack, while Diaz's flair has delighted the Anfield crowd on numerous occasions.

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However, in his first nine outings as a Liverpool player - only five of which have been starts - Diaz has only found the back of the net on one occasion.

In Tuesday's 1-0 loss to Inter Milan in the Champions League, the Colombian had a fantastic opportunity to level the scores late on, only to see his effort blocked by Arturo Vidal.

Speaking about his compatriot and that missed chance, Asprilla suggested that at the moment there is some hesitancy from the Liverpool winger when he does get into good positions, per Marca Colombia (h/t Sport Witness ).

"I think ‘Lucho’ is being eaten up by anxiety," said the ex-Newcastle United forward. "He’s playing very well, but when it comes to scoring, he’s making the wrong decision, in that play, we saw he had to score first.

"In the Copa America, he scored an almost impossible goal (against Brazil in the group stage), and now he has a chance to score first time, and he couldn’t. Anxiety is killing him."

Overall, Liverpool supporters have been delighted with the start Diaz has made to life on Merseyside and in a team that creates so many chances, there's a sense that the goals will start to flow in the not too distant future.

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