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Rio Ferdinand has picked Liverpool winger Luis Diaz as his Premier League signing of the season.
The 25-year-old has been in sparkling form since his January move from Porto, Diaz has established himself as a regular in Jurgen Klopp's side following his excellent performances.
According to Sky Sports, Liverpool originally intended to sign the tricky winger in the summer but were forced to bring forward their plans when Tottenham attempted to swoop in. Diaz has since scored three times and provided two assists in 10 Premier League appearances.
The decision to sign Diaz has certainly paid off so far and Ferdinand heaped praise on the forward on his YouTube channel Presents FIVE. When asked why the Colombian international is his signing of the season, Ferdinand said (via the Liverpool Echo):
“Luis Diaz, the impact he’s had at Liverpool, and especially in the front areas. We were saying before he came, ‘If one or two of them get injured up front, they’re going to be losing, the quality drops down dramatically.' When he starts, he’s probably vying now to be in the first three. Like, Firmino would struggle to get in there, [Diaz] probably gets in ahead of Jota now if they’re putting their best team in a Champions League final."
Ferdinand continued:
"That’s how much of an impact he’s made since he’s come. He has just been a breath of fresh air. You watch him play, on the ball he’s brilliant… but his reaction when they lose the ball is unreal. He’s like a trigger, bang, go, go and get it back. For those reasons, he’s the standout signing of the season for me.”
Klopp claims Liverpool 'ready to suffer' against Villarreal
The Reds will take a 2-0 lead into the second leg of their semi-final against the Spanish side on May 3. However, the German manager has warned his players not to be complacent.
Klopp's men secured a comfortable victory last time out at Anfield but in a pre-match press conference Klopp said (via BBC Sport):
"We have to be ready to play a top game because they will go for us. They will try to play much more football than we allowed them in the first game."
The 54-year-old added:
"My only concern is what we do and we have to be ready to suffer. But not going 1-0 down or whatever, that can happen in football matches but giving the game the right direction. If they have the first shot on target, the crowd goes up, each challenge, the crowd goes up and that is how it is."
