Emotional Luis Diaz opens up on impact of Diogo Jota's passing

Liverpool forward Luis Diaz has spoken to the media about Diogo Jota's passing.

He is the first representative from the club to speak in public about the recent events and he did so while away in his home country of Colombia, after being unable to make it to his funeral.

READ MORE: At a time of tragedy Liverpool stands strong

The left-winger felt inclined to reinforce the comments he made in tribute to the Portuguese striker on social media, talking about how much Jota meant to him and what impact his loss will have.

Speaking to Win Sports, a Colombian TV network, he said: "Obviously it's very hard to find out about news like that, isn't it? The first thing you do when you wake up is to look at the news, which is very sad because of what happened, honestly. The family among us, it caught us all off guard and I don't think anyone is prepared for that kind of news.

READ MORE: Diogo Jota - He was one of us

"A teammate, instrumental in my arrival in Liverpool because his family welcomed me, he welcomed me and we became great friends.

"We had a great, healthy rivalry and he was important. We always agree[d] on many things. I just want to give a lot of strength to his family, to his wife, to his children that he left behind. Because the truth is they must be suffering a lot from this terrible news.

"It hurts a lot. It was incredible when I woke up and saw the news. The truth is, I broke down in tears."

READ MORE: Liverpool players must be given time and space to grieve

Diogo Jota, 28, and his brother, 25-year-old Andre Silva, died when their car left the road in Zamora, nothern Spain, on Thursday 3 July.

The forward had been travelling back to the United Kingdom following a summer break in his home country of Portugal - where he got married to his wife Rute Cardoso.

Liverpool's preseason starts on Tuesday, with the news of Jota's passing still incredibly fresh for everyone at the club.