Liverpool attacker backed by pundit to ‘give defenders nightmares’

Former Premier League defender Alan Hutton believes Liverpool winger Luis Diaz will give his opponents “nightmares”.

Diaz signed for Liverpool from Porto during the January transfer window. He joins the Reds for a fee that could rise to £49m.

Tottenham Hotspur were targeting the winger before he made his move to Liverpool.

Five Prem players who could be capped by England in 2022…

The 25-year-old made his debut for Liverpool in the FA Cup against Cardiff last weekend. He was involved in his side’s second goal as they won 3-1.

Diaz could make his Premier League debut on Thursday as Liverpool face Leicester City.

Hutton believes “there is no doubting the player’s quality” following his debut versus Cardiff:

“That’s the interesting one, where does he fit in?” Hutton told Football Insider.

“There’s no doubting his quality, you can see how quick his feet are for the assist. I think he’ll give any full-back a bit of a nightmare.

“He looks the type that he likes to play out wide, likes to come in, make things happen, take players on. He’s direct and he can see a pass, he’s obviously very intelligent.

“The thing is, with the original front three, shall we say, they’ve still got a lot to give. It’s about thinking long term. These are the guys that are going to come in and take over.

“The likes of Jota, Luis Diaz, these are the next group to integrate themselves in. We’re starting to see it now, the progression will just keep going and then they’ll come in and take over.

“I am really looking forward to seeing it because it’s three players who are very hard to dislodge from that team. This is obviously the next group that is coming through.”

Elsewhere, Luis Diaz’s father (Luis Manuel Diaz) has claimed that Tottenham “hesitated a lot” during the transfer process to sign his son, allowing Liverpool to swoop in:

“There were many suitors who wanted Luis’ services, but he had the dream of reaching Liverpool. Because Liverpool are an elite team,” Diaz Sr said.

“After the first game, he told me that it was a team that works hard, complete, in which he will feel comfortable and will have the chance to play with high-performance players.”

He added: “Tottenham was one. Roma was also left behind in the process. They hesitated a lot and let themselves be caught by Liverpool. Liverpool were faster than them, they needed him and they took him away.”