Both Liverpool and Manchester City were triumphant in their midweek Champions League quarter-final assignments ahead of their titanic Premier League title decider. Young stars Luis Diaz and Phil Foden stole the spotlight with their fine performances and will likely play a big part in this weekend’s massive matchup as well.
Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp and Wayne Rooney sound off on the futures of Premier League superstars Mohamed Salah, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Paul Pogba.
Read on below as SBOTOP runs down the biggest pieces of news surrounding the Premier League at the moment.
Jurgen Klopp hails ‘world level’ Luis Diaz
Liverpool beat Benfica 3-1 away in their Champions League quarter-final first leg, which has all but secured their spot in the semi-finals. Luis Diaz starred for the Reds as he scored the crucial third goal three minutes from time and also set up Sadio Mane for the team’s second.
Klopp in his post-match comments was understandably full of praise for the young Colombian, who has hit the ground running upon his arrival at Anfield in the winter transfer window.
“He’s a top player. He’s a top, top world level player,” Klopp said of Diaz. “It’s a joy for me to work with Luís every day, and I’m more than happy that we decided to sign him in January.”
Diaz has scored three goals with one assist in his first nine appearances for Liverpool, and their Premier League 2022 odds of winning the title have improved significantly since his arrival. He will now look to make an impact in their potential title decider against Manchester City at the Etihad this weekend.
Man City prepared to extend Phil Foden contract
Manchester City eventually broke the resistance of Atletico Madrid’s defence to claim a crucial 1-0 win in their quarter-final first leg. Phil Foden made a massive difference as he set up Kevin De Bruyne for the winning goal just a couple of minutes after coming on as a substitute.
After the match, top football insider Fabrizio Romano tweeted that City are ready to offer a contract extension to the prodigious 21-year-old, and it’s clear to see why.
Foden is having another fine campaign with 11 goals and 7 assists in all competitions this season, and his best years are still ahead of him.
After starting on the bench in midweek against Atleti, Foden will likely get the start against Liverpool this weekend. Foden has scored three goals with two assists in his last three appearances against the Reds.
Klopp ‘happy’ with Mohamed Salah contract talks
Prior to Liverpool’s Champions League win over Benfica, Jurgen Klopp was once again asked about the status of Mohamed Salah’s contract talks.
The Reds boss responded by saying that talks are indeed being held between the two parties and that he is “happy” with how they are going despite the lack of new developments.
“I’m happy with it because there’s nothing new to say – that’s good. The decisive parties are talking to each other and that’s all I need.”
The 29-year-old Salah has produced Premier League 2022 highlights aplenty with 20 goals and 10 assists, which are first and tied for second in the Premier League, respectively.
Salah’s current contract is set to expire in 2023, and Sky Sports claims the Egyptian superstar is close to agreeing to a new deal that would keep him at Anfield for the rest of his career.
Wayne Rooney on Ronaldo, Pogba futures at Man United
Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney believes it might be time for the club to move on from two of their highest-profile players in Cristiano Ronaldo and Paul Pogba.
Rooney doesn’t think the 37-year-old Ronaldo’s return to Man United has worked out and believes that the club is better off with “young, hungry players” moving forward.
“You’d have to say no at the minute,” Rooney said on Sky Sports. “He’s scored goals, important goals in the Champions League early on in the season. He scored obviously the hat-trick against Tottenham.
“But I think if you’re looking to the future of the club, you have to go with younger, hungry players to lift Manchester United over these next two or three years.”
Rooney also feels Man United would be better off moving on from midfielder Paul Pogba. Rooney notes that Pogba has failed to recreate his form for France with United and that he is one of the players the Red Devils need to let go of.
Pogba, 29, is out of contract at the end of this season and will be available for a free transfer.
Kieran Tierney likely to miss rest of season with knee injury
Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney looks likely to miss the remainder of the Premier League season due to a knee injury.
The Scottish international suffered the injury during a training session last week, which saw him miss the Gunners’ 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace.
According to the club, Tierney is set to undergo surgery in the coming days, putting his availability for Scotland’s World Cup qualifying play-off against Ukraine in June in serious doubt.
Tierney has appeared in 22 Premier League games for Arsenal this season, scoring one goal and supplying three assists.
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