‘Liverpool were too good’ – Ian Wright says he felt sorry for Man Utd player on Sunday
Liverpool were utterly dominant during Sunday’s 3-0 thrashing of Manchester United at Old Trafford.
A first half brace from Luis Diaz and a sublime finish from Mo Salah ensured Arne Slot’s side returned to Merseyside with all three points to continue their flawless start to the new Premier League campaign.
The Reds are yet to concede a goal this term and are looking sharp in all areas of the pitch.
Former Arsenal favourite Ian Wright was impressed by what he saw from Liverpool at the weekend and explained how he felt the Anfield-based outfit targeted United midfielder Casemiro in the middle of the park.
“Liverpool were very controlled,” the 60-year-old said on Wrighty’s House podcast (via Metro).
“[Ryan] Gravenberch has got to get a lot of credit for that with the way he played and the defence looks very solid.
“Whether Mohamed Salah is going to leave or not at the end of the season, it was very honest because obviously Liverpool haven’t approached him. We all know that he’s going to have a queue of people.
“Going back to Arne Slot, he’s not trying to act cool. That’s how he is, he knows he’s got an incredible bunch of players.”
Wright added: “We know Trent [Alexander-Arnold], Mo and Virgil [Van Dijk] are coming to their last years. At the moment, with the way they’re playing, it doesn’t seem like that’s going to bother them too much, that’s for the people upstairs.
“At the same time, the way they’re playing, Manchester United and Liverpool, how intense that can be, how basketball-y it can be and how basketball-y we’ve seen it in those games where Man United have come out on top, they looked nowhere near that happening.
“The press from Liverpool was magnificent and you have to feel for Casemiro because as good as he is and as good as he was as a player, Liverpool were just too good.
“I think he was someone that was targeted, definitely targeted, but it’s that mid-press and that high-press. That was brilliant from them.”
Salah’s comments after the game will have frightened Liverpool supporters. The reality is that the Egyptian has entered the final year of his current deal and nobody from the club has spoken to him about what will happen beyond next summer.
The 32-year-old is still performing at the highest level and his contribution at Old Trafford on Sunday was game-changing.
It would make a lot of sense to offer our No.11 a new deal but it remains to be seen what FSG and Co. will decide to do.
Players who are the wrong side of 30, like Casemiro, can decline rapidly and the Brazilian simply couldn’t contain the energy and hunger from the likes of Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai.
Examples like that of Casemiro, who is also 32 years of age, is the reason why Liverpool’s hierarchy are hesitant to offer new deals to players over the age of 30. But Salah is a different breed.
He takes care of himself and is a role model both on and off the pitch.
We’d love to see him pen a new deal but for now let’s just continue to enjoy watching him help the side as much as possible.
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