This may be turning into a season to forget for Liverpool, but at least one of their former cohort is thriving.

Luis Diaz has fitted in seamlessly at Bayern Munich following his summer transfer: the club already seem to have one hand gripped on yet another Bundesliga title given they are six points clear, and are also top of the Champions League table, with a perfect record of four wins from four ahead of Wednesday’s visit to second-placed Arsenal

His personal record with Bayern is also excellent. Diaz has 11 goals and five assists in 18 appearances in all competitions — more goal involvements than former team-mates Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo have combined.

Former fans at Anfield are casting envious glances towards Bavaria and wondering whether Liverpool should have told Diaz he was staying put in the summer.

Luis Diaz celebrates Liverpool’s Premier League win in MayPaul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images

Hindsight is easy, of course.

It shouldn’t be forgotten that when Liverpool agreed a £65.6million fee for Diaz in July, it was widely deemed to be excellent business. And it is hard to make the case otherwise even now: the Colombian was 28, had two years remaining on his contract and — most importantly — wanted to leave. Two offers of a new deal had been turned down and a desire to pursue a new challenge had already been made clear to Liverpool executives 12 months before his eventual exit.

For much of last season, Gakpo and Salah were the regular wide combination that was so crucial to Liverpool’s Premier League success, while Diaz operated in the central role in between them. His exit, though, has left a glaring hole in the champions’ squad depth out wide.

Outside of Gakpo and Salah, head coach Arne Slot can call on Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz to play there but neither would say it was their natural position. With Slot preferring Federico Chiesa as a central option, it leaves 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha as the only alternative.

In their most recent defeat, 3-0 at home against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, Gakpo and Salah looked more like their usual selves in the opening half-hour. But later in the game, when ideally Slot would have turned to another experienced winger — either by bringing on a substitute or moving Diaz wide and sending on a striker, as he often did last season — he no longer has that luxury.

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If Liverpool were winning and fighting with Arsenal at the top of the table right now, Diaz’s departure would be an afterthought. Their supporters would be delighted to see his early success in Germany, but that’s where the conversation woul....

However, the combination of Liverpool’s poor form and the extent to which they are missing Diaz’s characteristics has heightened his loss. The same can be said of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s qualities in passing and build-up play: but while the right-back is struggling to impose himself at Real Madrid, Diaz’s fine form makes his absence cut deeper.

What set Diaz apart from the other wingers at Liverpool was his ability to get his team up the pitch and be an outlet, something Slot’s side have lacked this season.

While sometimes it would feel the South American was dropping too deep, he could also carry the ball forward. His burst of acceleration helped him in one-on-one battles against defenders, along with his ability to go either way. He is the opposite of Gakpo, who is a smooth ball-carrier, but Diaz’s scruffier style was just as, if not more, effective.

Diaz’s experience is the polar opposite of Wirtz’s since they swapped leagues. He has adapted immediately to the Bundesliga. Playing in the best team in the league with elite talent helps, but defensive standards in the German top flight are generally lower and it is not as physically demanding.

There were big expectations when Diaz arrived in Munich, given the price tag – one of the largest fees in the club’s history. Wide players joining Bayern have the challenge of being compared to the elite standards set in recent years by Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben. So, even though there was little issue with the cost of the transfer, given Diaz was the best such player available on the market, there was a natural pressure when he arrived.

Bayern chief executive Max Eberl presents Diaz to the mediaAlexandra Beier/AFP via Getty Images

Diaz is positioned on the left of Bayern’s attack in a front three with Harry Kane and Michael Olise, with Serge Gnabry in a central role behind them. While there are plenty of rotations between the forwards, Diaz’s position remains the most stable.