Everton fullback Nathan Patterson says that Liverpool winger Luis Diaz is the “best” winger he has so far come up against in the Premier League.

The former Rangers defender moved to the Toffees last January but he claims that the Colombian international proved a real test when he came face to face with him in the Merseyside derby earlier this season:

“The Premier League is a different level, even from playing at Rangers. There’s at least 50,000 in the different stadiums every week so it’s great to have that pressure on you. Playing against top players every week is only going to benefit me.”

“It’s brilliant because at a young age I’m getting to challenge myself on a regular basis. What a league this is. The best I’ve played against so far is probably Diaz in the Liverpool game at Goodison. That was a proper test and I felt I did well.”

Patterson also praised Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli who he came up against in a friendly back in the summer:

“Everyone down here is top quality. In pre-season, I played against Martinelli of Arsenal and he was so sharp. Everyone is sharp in this league!”

Following the news that Diaz has suffered a setback in his recovery from a knee injury, it’s unlikely that we’ll see him in action again until March, which is a real setback for the Reds.

Manager Jurgen Klopp said it was like a “slap in the face” when he heard the news that the 25-year-old would be out of contention for an extended period of time.

With Diogo Jota also unavailable due to a calf problem, it’s more than likely that Darwin Nunez will be asked to fill in on the left flank in the coming weeks.