Liverpool's highest rated player according to the stats is £28M star - but has he been the best?

Liverpool's best-performing player so far - according to the stats - is £28M valued star, but has he really been the best?

The Reds have struggled at the start of the season with many of their top performers showing worrying levels of form.

According to the statistics from WhoScored, Roberto Firmino is currently Liverpool's highest-rated player for his performances so far this season.

Are the statistics correct or are there other players that have performed better so far? Let's break it down.

Has Firmino been that good?

If we're being fair, Firmino's average rating has been incredibly distorted by his masterful display against Bournemouth in the 9-0 win a few weeks ago.

His three assists and two goals earned him a perfect score and that is why he is top of the Liverpool squad for average rating per game. Overall, he's been fairly average if truth be told.

He struggled against Fulham, Manchester United, Napoli and Everton but has had two good games against Bournemouth and Newcastle at home.

There's more of a case for two other players - Harvey Elliott and Luis Diaz.

Harvey Elliott

The 19-year-old has been thrust into the first team this season and entrusted with regular minutes, just as he was last season before his unfortunate ankle injury.

His energy, close control and intensity have been a positive for the Reds so far as he's made the most of midfield injuries to play in every game - with 40 minutes being the least amount of minutes spent on the pitch.

He even managed a well-taken goal against Bournemouth in the 9-0 thrashing. With Jordan Henderson out for at least the next month, he could slot in next to Thiago, who's just returned from injury to help sure up their midfield.

Praise has been coming in for the young star with Danny Murphy who claimed - "They've got two young players, especially one who I think has been Liverpool's best player this season in Harvey Elliott. He really took control and demanded it, from minute one he was at it, sharp, confident." He told Match of the Day. He's certainly been one of Liverpool's best performers.

Luis Diaz

The Columbian winger has begun his first full season as a Liverpool player and is now the out-and-out left winger for this new era following Sadio Mane's departure. And the winger has begun extremely brightly.

He's scored four in eight games so far, with two of them being outside-of-the-box strikes that have caught the eye. WhoScored has him as the second highest rated player at 7.48 behind Firmino's distorted 7.53.

Personally, I believe Diaz has been sharp from minute one this season and has managed to showcase quality during a time in which their attack and midfield and defence are all misfiring badly. He's averaging 2.7 shots per game, 0.7 key passes, 2.3 dribbles per game and around 35 passes.

If anyone can hold their head high so far, Diaz is certainly one of them and I believe he has been Liverpool's best player so far.