Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has hailed the impact of forward Luis Diaz since his arrival from Porto, hailing him as a near “miracle.”
The Reds made a surprise move for the Colombian international if the final days of the January transfer window, after Tottenham Hotspur had decided to pursue his signature.
Diaz opted for Anfield, and has scored twice in 12 appearances since then, as well as putting in a string of impressive displays including in the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea at Wembley.
Klopp has often eschewed the opportunity to bring in first-team players in the mid-season transfer window, but explained that Diaz was simply too good to miss out on.
“You don’t expect miracles immediately from these kind of players,” Klopp told Sky Sports. “But he is not far away from doing exactly that. Long may it continue.
“Every coach would say the same about a January signing: You do it, but if you could, you would do it in the summer. There is a reason why you sign a player. The reason is the quality that he has. The reason is the way that he is playing the game.”
Part of the reason Klopp was willing to make a move in January was the fact that Diaz’s quality and playing style meant he could fit into the Reds’ system straight away.
“With Luis, where it has been really special is that when we saw him we knew that he would fit in immediately,” Klopp explained. “That is really difficult usually but because he did not have to change, that is why we have a really confident boy here.
“He was in a really good moment with Porto, playing good for Colombia, and so he came here full of confidence. But what we tried to make sure is that he does not lose that because of the playbook as we tell him that he has to do this and he has to do that. We want him to be natural.”
Diaz does not yet speak English, and Klopp explained that communication has been less than ideal so far.
“With Luis, for obvious reasons, there is a language issue with me,’ Klopp said. ‘I do not speak Spanish and he does not speak English. He is learning. I am not learning so we will have to wait until his English gets better.
“Until then, we have a lot of people here who are in constant talks with him. It will take time. He is at a new club and he is thinking about what people expect. But he is obviously pretty natural here. That is why he plays the way that he plays.”
Liverpool have already won one trophy this season and will play Benfica in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, Manchester City in the semi-finals of the FA Cup, and are just one point behind Pep Guardiola’s men in the Premier League with a meeting at the Etihad coming up in the second fixture after the international break.
