Liverpool star trains with Academy as Jurgen Klopp weighs up big decision

Luis Diaz is set to return to full Liverpool training as he edges closer to a full recovery.

The winger has been sidelined for the past five-and-a-half months after suffering a knee injury in the first half of a 3-2 loss to Arsenal in October.

Having initially rejoined his team-mates during the Reds’ warm weather training camp during the trip to Dubai during the World Cup, Diaz sustained a setback.

But now Diaz is moving closer to rubbing shoulders with the likes of Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Co. at the AXA Training Centre. The Colombia international trained with members of Liverpool’s academy at Kirkby last week and now is primed to return to the first-team fray.

Certainly, Diaz’s return to fitness is a huge boost in the Reds’ pursuit of a Premier League top-four finish. Klopp’s men have 10 games to qualify for next season’s Champions League and trail fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur by seven points - but have played two games fewer.

Liverpool have felt the absence of the 26-year-old. He’s made a scintillating impact since arriving from Porto in January 202 and has recorded 10 goals and six assists in 38 appearances. Before his injury, he was one of the few players in the Reds squad who hit the heights expected.

But whether Diaz is included in the match-day squad for Saturday’s trip to face champions Manchester City remains to be seen. Klopp and his medical staff will be wary of pushing the tenacious forward too soon and risk him breaking down again.