“It’s a worrying situation for all of us" - Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp provides update on Luis Diaz after parents' kidnapping in Colombia

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said that winger Luis Diaz is having a difficult time after his omission from the Reds' squad facing Nottingham Forest on Sunday, October 29. This comes after reports that the Colombian's parents were kidnapped.

An update was issued later that Diaz's mother has been rescued, but his father's whereabouts are still unclear.

Ahead of the clash at Anfield, Klopp said (via press conference):

“We had to obviously make a late change because of the private situation involving Luis Diaz.

“It’s a worrying situation for all of us and it was a pretty tough night. I have never had that before. It’s a new experience I never needed.”

As per Fabrizio Romano, Diaz's parents were apprehended by gunmen on motorbikes and kidnapped on Sunday afternoon. They were travelling to their home neighbourhood of Los Olivos in the town of Barrancas.

Diaz's mother Cilenis Marulanda was later found unharmed, but his father Luis Manuel Diaz is yet to be found.

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Pep Guardiola claims Liverpool biggest rivals for Manchester City

Guardiola has heaped praise on the Reds.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has labelled Liverpool as his biggest rival during his tenure in England. Speaking ahead of the Manchester derby on Sunday, the Spaniard spoke about how the Reds pushed his side to become better.

He said (via press conference):

“There was one year with Ole that was quite close, but overall it has been Liverpool. When I finish my tenure here, Liverpool have been my rivals and our rivals.

“They have made us a challenge and helped make us a better team in all departments. They have challenged us like no other team has done in my period here."

He added:

“Of course, Arsenal are back and Newcastle have arrived and Chelsea are in the process to restructure a few things. Look at Spurs now, how good they are playing. They will be fresh all season because they are out of the Carabao Cup. They will be there, for sure, with the manager they have. But our rivals in the past have been Liverpool.”

Manchester City have won five of the last six Premier League titles, with the Reds the only side to win the title in between. The two teams notably had an extremely close title race in 2018-19, with the Merseysiders finishing second despite scoring 97 points.

Jurgen Klopp's side once again look like strong contenders this season after finishing outside the top four last season. They are just one point behind Manchester City to begin this campaign.