Ex-Everton star is key to Luis Diaz revival at Liverpool under Arne Slot

Should Luis Diaz pick up the Premier League Golden Boot or Liverpool's Player of the Season award come the end of the campaign, he might owe thanks to a former Everton star.

The Colombian winger has hit the ground running in 2024-25 with five goals and one assist in six Premier League games, grabbing first-half braces against Manchester United and Bournemouth while notching a goal and assist against Brentford .

It means the 27-year-old is on the verge of equalling last season's Premier League goal tally of eight in just a matter of games. In fact, Diaz has 31 fixtures to grab three goals and four assists to achieve the same 13 goal contributions he racked up last season.

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The former Porto star has been thriving under new manager Arne Slot and it's already been noted how the Dutchman targeted Diaz as a player he could improve when taking on the Liverpool job, using one-on-one sessions focused on his off-the-ball positioning, when to make runs and choosing the right time to pass or shoot.

But there is also another man behind the scenes who has played an integral role in fine-tuning Diaz into one of Liverpool's star performers this season - former Everton defender John Heitinga . Brought in as Slot's assistant coach during the summer, the 40-year-old is reportedly crucial to the individual sessions that are being run with players to improve their performances.

According to the Daily Mail , it is believed Heitinga speaks good Spanish and therefore works specifically with Liverpool's South American contingent - Darwin Nunez , Alexis Mac Allister and, of course, Diaz. This was no doubt a factor in the decision to hire the former Goodison Park player and it's clearly paying dividends.

Through Heitinga, Slot has been able to relay his demands and instructions to Diaz and the Colombian has clearly taken everything on board so far. His movement off the ball, when and where to make runs, finishing and general all-round play have improved dramatically, and he seems a player reborn.

Diaz was never a bad player by any stretch prior to Slot's appointment this summer, having notched 24 goals and 13 assists in 98 appearances for Liverpool since his January 2022 switch from Porto, yet it's fair to say perhaps more was expected of him.

He actually hit the ground running following his Anfield arrival in the second half of the 2021/22 campaign, yet flashes of inconsistency often led to grumblings from certain sections of the home faithful. In fairness, filling the boots of former star winger Sadio Mane was never going to be easy.

But it appears Diaz is finally realising his full potential this season and long may it continue. Slot's arrival has been a gamechanger for the Colombia international and with the addition of the Spanish-speaking Heitinga as assistant coach, Liverpool couldn't be in a stronger position to get the absolute most out of the boy from Barrancas.