The Colombian winger has been a revelation since his mid-season arrival at Anfield, and after a European turn to remember, the sky may be the limit.
Andy Robertson has warned Liverpool's Premier League and European rivals that a "scary" Luis Diaz will only "get better" with a full pre-season at the club, after his match-winning performance booked the Reds a third Champions League final in the space of five seasons.
The Colombian was introduced at half-time in Tuesday's second leg against Villarreal, with Jurgen Klopp's visitors trailing 2-0 on the night and tying 2-2 on aggregate, to produce a sublime performance that steered his team to a 3-2 comeback victory against the Yellow Submarine.
It is the latest superb turn from the winger, who has already won silverware with Carabao Cup success following his arrival in January and, after helping Liverpool to a first Champions League final since they beat Tottenham in 2019, his team-mate thinks he will only improve.
He has been special," Robertson stated. "We've tried to help him as much as we can, all the players. We know how difficult it is coming in in January. The coaches and everyone else have got him up to speed but he is a special, special player. The talent he has and the will to win - he just fits us perfectly.
"It was tough to take Jota off, I think he has been excellent this season, but Luis came on and made a big, big difference. He played on the left, started pushing them back, dribbling the ball and everything. A really good half from him.
"He's been special since he came in and it's been a pleasure to play with him. Hopefully he will only get better. With a full pre-season under his belt I believe he will get better, which is scary, but what he has produced in the here and now is pretty special as well."
Liverpool now await the confirmation of their opponent for their clash in Paris, with either a 2018 final rematch against Real Madrid or an all-English affair with Premier League rivals Manchester City looming on the horizon for the Reds.
Robertson, however, was untroubled on whether it would be Pep Guardiola's side or Carlo Ancelotti's La Liga champions joining them, but pointed to their success against Spurs three years ago, adding: "Time will tell. We won it in an all-English final. I think the English finals are always tough, you play them enough in a season.
"City are an incredible team and are in pole position; we will watch and Real Madrid will try to have a say in it. We can watch that game knowing we have done our job, knowing we are through and can look forward to the final whoever we play. Both of them will fight it out tonight."
No comments:
Post a Comment