“The team needed him" - Pep Lijnders on Luis Diaz
Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders has praised Reds winger Luis Diaz.
The Colombia international has had a superb start to life at Anfield. Diaz, who joined the club from Porto back in January, has found the back of the net six times and registered five assists in 28 appearances for Liverpool's first-team.
With that being the case, the 25-year-old is now a regular starter at Anfield. Lijnders has explained why the club ended up signing him for a transfer fee of £42.30 million.
“The team needed him. It needed that style, stealing balls from centre-halves, chasing to the goalkeeper, receiving the ball under massive pressure but finding a way out to shoot," he told Goal, as quoted by Anfield Watch's Twitter account.
“We needed that extra energy in the final third, both defensively and offensively, and that’s what he gave us from day one. That was why I called it ‘water in the desert’, and why we pushed for him.”
Anfield Watch Verdict
We are delighted that Liverpool ended up signing Diaz. The winger has proven to be a superb addition to Jurgen Klopp's squad.
The exciting thing about Diaz is that he is only 25 years of age. With that being the case, it would be fair to assume that he is far from the finished article.
Diaz is contracted until the conclusion of the 2026-27 campaign. Therefore, we look forward to seeing how Diaz develops as a footballer in the years to come.
Hopefully the forward can lead Liverpool to a trophy or two this season. But, only time will tell if that is to occur.
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