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    Liverpool news: Klopp praises Luis Diaz debut against Leicester but dampens expectations

    Planet Sport writerStaff Writer11 February 2022
    Liverpool's Luis Diaz made his Premier League debut vs Leicester, Feb22

    Liverpool's Luis Diaz made his Premier League debut vs Leicester, Feb22

    Luis Diaz made his Premier League debut on Thursday night, and the £37million signing shone in front of a packed-out Anfield.

    Having made the switch from Porto to Liverpool last month, fans were excited to see the tricky Colombian on display for the first time, and he didn't disappoint.

    While Diogo Jota stole the show with a goal either side of half-time, Liverpool fans were impressed with how naturally Diaz slotted into their line-up.

    Mohamed Salah came off the bench for the final 30 minutes, but with Sadio Mane still recovering from his AFCON exertion, Dias was given 89 minutes on the pitch before being replaced by Takumi Minamino.

    Given a standing ovation by the Anfield faithful on his exit, fans were clearly happy with what they saw, and Jurgen Klopp echoed the praise after the final whistle.

    "It was his first game and was probably one of the best I saw from a new player, that's true, because he looked completely natural," said Klopp.
    However, with Diaz still adapting to life in Liverpool, Klopp was quick to dampen expecations of his new signing.
    "But it was only a first game and we have to see how he adapts to working with intensity and all these kind of things in the Premier League. There is no rush.
    "Last night was a very good opportunity to start him because of Sadio not being here yet and Mo (Salah) coming back from an incredibly tense (AFCON) tournament. And yes, he showed up."
    With Mane now back from his celebrations, the Senegalese winger is expected to return to the squad for Liverpool's clash against Burnley on Sunday afternoon, but Dias' performance will surely give Klopp some selection headaches.
    "Sadio will be available. He will come now this morning for training and will be in full training. We make a decision after that on how he feels.
    "Emotionally he will still be high flying but physically we have to see how intense it was for him the last few days."
    Klopp will also be pleased by the return of his captain, Jordan Henderson, who has recovered from a minor back problem.
    It's the first time the German coach has had a fully fit squad in months, and with Manchester City currently nine points clear at the top of the table, he can now look to start closing the gap.
    With the Reds still in contention for four trophies this season, squad depth will be crucial in the coming months. So while Klopp may face a few tough decisions on matchdays, he's embraced it as a good problem to have.
    As a result, there was no space for either Divock Origi or Joe Gomez in Thursday's squad, but Klopp insists there will be opportunities for everyone.
    "It didn't happen a lot that we have this kind of quality players and they couldn't make the squad.
    "Joe's situation was we had to make a decision whether we wanted a second centre-half on the bench or not, while Divock was not too long back in training after his injury so that was the decision there.
    "We have a chat group where we share all information around the team and in this group the players who were not available or whatever always send a message saying 'Good luck boys' or whatever. And we had times when we had 13 or 14 players texting, which means they were not available for us.
    "Now we have a different situation. But I've said it before, it's more important how we play than who is playing.
    "The situation is not easy to be a star in the team but it is not allowed to cost you confidence, thinking 'I might play today but not tomorrow'.
    "We have to make sure that as a group we use that situation in the best possible way."

    READ MORE: 'No idea where his limit is' - Jurgen Klopp praises Liverpool hero after Leicester win

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