Luis Diaz has seen his manager fight his corner amid criticism over his form for Colombia when compared to his output for Liverpool.
It has been an encouraging start for Diaz under Arne Slot, with three goals and an assist from the left wing – welcome form after a summer of transfer speculation.
He would not be considered prolific for Liverpool, with only 27 goals in 101 appearances, but that has not stopped some from his home country criticising him for performing better at club level.
After just three goals for his country in 2023, Diaz already has four this calendar year, and his international manager, Nestor Lorenzo, stood up for his attacker before their match against Argentina.
“The stars are always on everyone’s lips and are observed in a particular, more intense way,” Lorenzo told reporters, via Red Mas.
“Three or four months ago, the issue was why he didn’t score goals for the national team, and now he has become our top scorer in the qualifiers.
“We said that he is going to score goals, and he is scoring them. I am not worried, for me, Luis is doing a good job. Let’s just let him flow because he does it well.”
How nice is it to hear managers stick up for their players?
Diaz has scored three of Colombia’s seven goals in their World Cup qualifying campaign so far, his latest came against Peru over the weekend – taking his record for his country to 15 goals in 56 caps.
It means his average for club and country is currently the same with 0.26 goals per appearance. While criticism may come his way, he has the vote of confidence from both his managers.
The 27-year-old is not short on competition on the left wing for Liverpool, but he’s currently first-choice for Slot, who quickly put to bed any transfer speculation at the start of the season.
“His future is with us because I like a lot what I’ve seen in the last 10 days that he’s been in,” Slot said prior to the Reds’ opening game of the season in August.
“He’s had a big impact on Liverpool’s seasons, and I’m hoping that he has a big impact in the upcoming season as well.”
It is so far, so good on that front!
