Liverpool are really missing Luis Diaz but I hope his former team-mate proves Arne Slot wrong

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The Colombian called time on his Anfield career to join Bayern Munich in a £65.5m deal back in July, and has enjoyed an astonishing start to his time in Germany.The 28-year-old, who scored the winner on his debut for the Bavarians to win the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup, has returned an eye-catching 11 goals and five assists from just 17 appearances for Vincent Kompany’s side to help them put together an unbeaten campaign to date.In contrast, Liverpool have struggled since his departure and currently sit eighth in the Premier League after losing seven of their last 10 matches in all competitions.READ MORE: Liverpool midfield questions to begin for Arne Slot with transfer noise expected to growREAD MORE: Liverpool star's new injury message as update shared after latest setbackWith five of those defeats coming in the English top-flight, the reigning Premier League champions have already lost more than they did during the entirety of last season.Diaz played a starring role for Slot’s side as they won the Premier League, returning 17 goals and five assists from 50 appearances as he was utilised both in his favoured position on the left-wing and upfront.But he was one of a number of Slot’s title-winning squad to move on in the summer as Liverpool received roughly £200m from player sales, while also undergoing a £450m spending spree to sign eight new senior stars.The Reds broke the British transfer record twice to bring in Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak but, like the majority of Liverpool’s summer signings, the pair are yet to prove their worth at Anfield and boast just one goal between them.And with the Reds’ new arrivals not delivering consistently on the pitch, Fowler believes his former club are ruing the departure of Diaz.“I don’t know the reason why he went, but it looks as though he wanted to go because it was a very quick sale, wasn’t it?” he told the Metro. “That tells you he probably wanted to.“But for me he was probably one of Liverpool’s standout players last year.

So I’m actually genuinely surprised that not more has been made of how much Liverpool are missing him.“Because when you look at Liverpool and certainly the tough start they’ve had, they maybe struggled to break teams down when teams have sat and kept that low block.“Luis Diaz is one of those players who can unlock defences. So I think they have genuinely missed him.”Liverpool knocks 50% off kits and merchThis article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it.

Learn moreVarious PricesKitbagShop the sale hereKitbag has slashed the price of Liverpool kits and merch with up to 50% off select items.Diaz wanted to leave Liverpool after failing to agree a new contract with the Reds, having also been interested in an exit in the summer of 2024 only to reportedly see a possible move to Man City blocked by Anfield bosses.Meanwhile, the Colombian is not the only former Liverpool player to be thriving at a new club this season, with Tyler Morton also excelling since his £15m switch to Lyon after finding opportunities hard to come by under Slot.While Fowler was not surprised to see the midfielder move on, he hopes Morton can go on to make the Reds regret sanctioning his exit.“There’s no doubt that he’s good enough because he has played in midfield at Liverpool before,’ he said. “But you’ve got to be honest and say, the manager didn’t really play him much last year.“So certainly not under this manager could you see him coming back… I genuinely hope he does [prove them wrong to have sold him] because he is a local lad who’s obviously come through the ranks.“I’m like that with every player who comes through up from the academy.