Sadio Mane 'problem' admitted as Villarreal suffer injury blow ahead of Liverpool clash

On the eve of a huge clash against Manchester United, here are your Liverpool FC headlines for Bank Holiday Monday, April 18.

Jurgen Klopp has dismissed any suggestion that Sadio Mane's recent form is a reaction to Liverpool signing Luis Diaz in January.

The Reds brought in Diaz in a £49m deal mid-season to bolster their attacking ranks. The Colombian has predominantly played on the left-wing since his arrival and, as a result, Mane has often found himself utilised centrally. The Senegalese is currently in a rich vein of form in front of goal with his match-winning brace against Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday taking his tally to four from his last four games and eight from 15 appearances since winning the Africa Cup of Nations.

Speaking to reporters ahead of Liverpool 's Premier League clash with Manchester United at Anfield on Tuesday, Klopp suggested that Mane, like Mohamed Salah, had perhaps been struggling with the physical demands placed on him as a result of his mid-season international exploits. But having shone in recent weeks, the German praised how the forward is impressing in his new role down the middle.

"I've known Sadio nearly six years. As far as I know him, he never needed any kind of competition to try and be the best version of himself," Reds boss Klopp said. "For a long time he pretty much played all the games when he was fit and performed to an incredibly high level consistently.

"Bringing in Luis, I'm not sure that it affected that part of his game. I don't know, but it was not the reason for bringing in Luis. Playing the centre obviously suits Sadio very well as well. He played for us and scored some incredible goals and some important goals from the left-wing, but he can