'Really happy' - Jurgen Klopp issues Luis Diaz update after his father is returned to safety

Jurgen Klopp says Luis Diaz is ready to start as Liverpool publicly thanked the authorities in Colombia for engineering the safe return of the player's father after nearly a fortnight as a hostage.

Diaz, who sat out two matches while his father was being held captive in his homeland, starts for the Reds at Toulouse as they look to secure qualification from Europa League's Group E with a win on Thursday evening.

Luis Manuel Diaz was kidnapped on Saturday October 28 along with his wife, Clienis Marulanda, in their homeland by armed men on motorcycles.

Mrs Marulanda was found shaken but safe hours later but Mr Diaz remained with the kidnappers before a huge search and rescue mission involving well over 200 members of the police force was underway for close to a fortnight.

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Rebel group the National Liberation Army of Colombia (ELN) were responsible for the kidnapping and the Colombian government had been locked in negotiations with the organisation to secure Mr Diaz's safe release over the last week.

The father of the Liverpool forward was eventually brought back via helicopter before he was checked over by doctors following a harrowing ordeal.

Speaking ahead of the game on Thursday, Klopp said: "It looks like it is done but I am not the one for the news to be honest. It looks like Lucho is really happy [putting] thumbs up all of the time so it looks good, very, very good.

"But I am not the one to release anything. But timing-wise, yes, it couldn't have been better. So if it is today then great, that is all I can say. We asked him [if he wanted to start], he wants to and