Luis Diaz: Liverpool 'praying for good situation' in search for player's father

Luis Diaz joined Liverpool from Porto in 2022

Liverpool are "praying for a good situation" as the search for Luis Diaz's kidnapped father continues in Colombia, says assistant manager Pepijn Lijnders.

Colombian authorities are searching for Luis Manuel Diaz after armed men abducted him and his wife.

Diaz's mother, Cilenis Marulanda, was found in Barrancas on Saturday.

Forward Diaz was absent from the Liverpool side that beat Nottingham Forest 3-0 on Sunday.

"We have to try to support him as much as we can, a lot of things are out of our hands," said Lijnders.

"We hope the authorities can find his dad, we pray for that. As long as we do the right thing for him, he is one of us.

"He is an incredible player, everyone can see that. Then you see him in the building, he is the guy who always smiles. We really care about him.

"The team responded brilliantly by putting the shirt up, and the way the stadium reacted was a special moment. Our motto is You'll Never Walk Alone. So we just pray for a good situation."

The search for Diaz's father has moved to mountains in the north of Colombia.

Colombian police are offering a reward of about £40,000 for information regarding his whereabouts.

Liverpool face Bournemouth in the last 16 of the EFL Cup on Wednesday.