Luis Diaz on Liverpool's bench in Premier League as negotiations continue over his kidnapped father

Sun, Nov 5, 2023
Soccer News (AP)

LUTON, England (AP) - Luis Diaz returned to Liverpool's squad for its Premier League match against Luton on Sunday, with his father still missing after being kidnapped by a guerrilla group in Colombia.

Diaz has missed Liverpool's last two games but has trained since Thursday and was selected on the bench by manager Jurgen Klopp for the match at Kenilworth Road.

"At the training ground he was fine, on the pitch he was fine, so that's why he is here," Klopp said.

Both of Diaz's parents were kidnapped in the small Colombian town of Barrancas last weekend, though his mother was rescued within hours by police. Colombia's government said Thursday that the guerrilla group National Liberation Army, known as ELN, was responsible for the kidnapping.

"All the signs he gets, as far as I understand, are very positive," Klopp said about the situation regarding Diaz's father. "Negotiations are ongoing but still positive and that's why (Diaz) wanted to be part of the team."

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