Luis Diaz change comes at perfect time for Liverpool after winger taught tough lesson

Everything seemed possible for Luis Diaz when Bournemouth last made the visit to Anfield almost 12 months ago.

The Colombian winger was a rare shining light during a difficult start to the season for Liverpool, carrying on the form that had made him an instant hit following his arrival midway through the previous quadruple-chasing campaign for £50million from Porto.

Sure enough, Diaz notched his first double for the club by bookending the record-breaking 9-0 romp over the Cherries before a goal against Napoli and further assists against Brighton, Rangers and Arsenal.

But then came the hammer blow of his knee injury at the Emirates which was subsequently aggravated on his return at the mid-season training camp in Dubai. All told, Diaz spent six months on the sidelines.

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His appearances on returning for the final nine games of last season, despite a superbly-taken strike against Tottenham Hotspur, were very much those of a player still searching for full fitness and match sharpness.

And after an indifferent showing in the first friendly of pre-season at Karlsruhe in which the other four main Liverpool forwards either scored or assisted, the celebration from Diaz at scoring the opener in the next game against Greuther Furth was laced with significant relief.

He hasn't looked back. More goals came against Bayern Munich and SV Darmstadt, with Diaz's performances earning him a starting role on the left wing on the opening weekend at Chelsea last Sunday during which it took him only 18 minutes to score Liverpool's first of the season in a 1-1 draw.