Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp will have to plan for life without Luis Diaz for the foreseeable future.
Liverpool have suffered a major injury setback with Luis Diaz ruled out for another three months after suffering a setback in his return from his knee injury. Reds boss Jurgen Klopp has described the development as a ‘proper smash in the face’ given it now leaves the club with just three fit senior attacking options – Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez and Roberto Firmino.
With Diogo Jota unlikely to return until the end of January at the earliest Klopp will have at least seven matches to get through as he looks to get back on track in the Premier League and make progress in defence of the EFL and FA Cups. Here Express Sport looks at four options available to the club as they seek a path through their injury woes, with a foray into the transfer market or utilising youth talent among the options available.
Mohammed Kudus
The Ghanaian was one of the standout players of the World Cup group stages and Liverpool are one of the clubs believed to be interested in his services. Kudus is reportedly keen to leave Ajax and is capable of filling in a range of attacking positions. He has also already impressed at Anfield, after scoring against the Reds in the Champions League earlier this season.
The 22-year-old has also previously admitted he was ‘really close’ to joining Everton over the summer so it would offer Liverpool to get one over on their local rivals while also increasing their options in the short and long-term as they work a way through the tricky period.
Ben Doak
Should Klopp decide to take a little more of a risk on the club’s youngsters, he may decide to promote Doak to the first-team. The Scotsman has impressed youth coaches since joining from Celtic in the summer with some describing him as the best talent within their academy and he impressed the German during his sole senior run-out against Derby County in the EFL Cup.
He has scored eight goals in 15 youth games this season and is an excellent dribbler in a similar style to Diaz. The 17-year-old could therefore be a left-field replacement and become the surprise man to get the Reds’ season back on track.
