Jurgen Klopp claims returning injured forward will be like a 'new signing' for Liverpool
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has revealed his excitement at Luis Diaz's return from injury after a lengthy lay-off.
The Colombian forward has suffered two serious knee injuries this season, the first one in the 3-2 defeat to Arsenal way back in October, and the second during warm weather training in Duabi before the turn of the year.
These injuries meant that, to date, Diaz has missed 33 games in all competitions so far this season, with Liverpool struggling both in European and domestic competitions.
Without Diaz in the lineup, Liverpool's form has fallen off a cliff in recent months. The Reds have been knocked out of the Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup and also sit a lowly eighth in the Premier League with fewer than 10 games to play.
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Speaking ahead of Liverpool's 30th league game of the season - against Leeds United - Klopp has revealed that Diaz is back in contention for selection, something which the manager is extremely happy about.
"He’s 100 per cent ready in training so that’s it now," Klopp said. "Absolutely it is [like having a new signing]. He’s developed massively. His English is getting better, so he is really settled. He was here every day.
"He really matured again, much more comfortable than he was in the beginning with everything in a new country. He is like a breath of fresh air every day he is in training. He loves it out there, I said in the beginning when he came that he cannot train without a smile on his face and that’s something really special and that’s exactly how he acts now."
The Reds go into the clash with Leeds nine points adrift of the Europa League qualification places, but have two games in hand over the teams ahead of them in the Premier League table.