Liverpool's manager, German Jürgen Klopp, has left it up to his Colombian international winger Luis Díaz to decide on his return to the pitch following the kidnapping of his father by a rebel gang in Colombia. Díaz's mother was rescued within hours after being kidnapped last weekend in the small town of Barrancas, Colombia, but dozens of soldiers, along with police support, are still searching for his father. Colombian special forces are searching for Díaz's father in a mountain range stretching between Colombia and Venezuela that is covered by forests. The police have offered a reward of $48,000 for information leading to his whereabouts. The Colombian government announced on Thursday that the National Liberation Army (ELN) is responsible for the kidnapping.
Ahead of Liverpool's match against Luton Town scheduled for this Sunday, Klopp stated that Díaz trained with the team this week but that it is up to the player to decide if he wants to be included in the squad traveling to Luton. Klopp added, "We have to wait. If he feels he is alright, he will be here and train with us. From the training session he had with us, you can see he is fine and is among the players, he is okay, but you can see he is not sleeping much... It all depends on him, whether he makes himself available or not, and I won't force him into anything."
Díaz missed Liverpool's match against Nottingham Forest last Sunday, and his teammates expressed their solidarity with the Colombian player by raising one of his jerseys on the pitch after scoring the first goal in their 3-0 victory.
