Johannesburg - Mamelodi Sundowns are still kicking themselves for missing out on Luis Diaz after he again delivered for Liverpool in their 3-1 victory over Benfica in the first leg of their Uefa Champions League quarter-final.
After the arrival of the Colombian talisman at Liverpool from Porto in January this year, Sundowns’ co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi made a sombre admission about Diaz, including the relationship they’ve forged with South America over the years.
“We’ve lost a lot of other players,” bemoaned Mngqithi, despite lauding the good business that has been done by their scouts out in South America.
“One of them (the player that we lost) signed for Liverpool recently, can you believe it?
“We should have signed him before he joined Porto. We were on top of Diaz. Unfortunately, we were delayed for one or two days and he signed for Porto. We have looked at a lot of players. I don’t want to lie to you. You will think that I am.”
Since arriving at Liverpool for a fee of £37million (R709million), the 25-year-old has scored three goals and registered one assist in 13 games across all competitions, with his best game arguably coming on Tuesday against Benfica in Portugal.
But the Sundowns faithful will be optimistic that Bolivian Erwin Saveedra, who signed in January, will also be a success at the club, joining South American compatriots such as Brazilian Ricardo Nascimento, who’ve shone for Downs.