Livewire Diaz becomes instant Liverpool hit

MANCHESTER, England : Settling into life in the English Premier League, a division often heralded as having the fastest pace in world football, is not easy - that is unless you are Liverpool's new livewire Luis Diaz.

Even with a wealth of firmly established attacking talent already in the Liverpool ranks, Colombian forward Diaz, signed from Portuguese side Porto in January, has been able to take to the Premier League like a duck to water.

Coming from a rural, Atlantic coastal village, Diaz was almost overlooked as a youngster due to his slight build, but after a glowing reference from Colombia great Carlos Valderrama, he has never looked back.

"He is a top player," Liverpool coach Juergen Klopp said after Diaz's man-of-the-match performance in his side's 3-1 Champions League quarter final first-leg win at Benfica on Tuesday.

"He's a top, top world level player. It's a joy for me to work with Luis every day, and I'm more than happy that we decided to sign him in January."

Klopp insisted Diaz already "looked like a Liverpool player" a matter of weeks after signing him, with the 25-year-old possessing one particular key attribute that has helped him feel right at home.

Famed for their intense style of play, the first line of the press is important to Klopp. After another breathless display in Lisbon in midweek, Diaz has now won possession in the final third more times (12) than any other player in the Champions League this season.

The rigours of the Premier League have not been able to suppress Diaz's defensive efforts either, as he ranks in the top 10 for possession won in the final third for players with over five appearances to their name.

There is certainly no lack of bravery to his game, exemplified by his willingness to