Steven Gerrard regrets Liverpool decision as Arne Slot 'misses' player

Ex-Liverpool star Luis Diaz scored for Bayern Munich against Real Madrid in the Champions League as Steven Gerrard admitted his former club misses the Colombian forward

Steven Gerrard has made his feelings clear on Luis Diaz(Image: Getty Images)

Steven Gerrard lamented Liverpool's choice to offload Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich following the ex-Red's strike against Real Madrid.

The Colombian attacker left Anfield for the German team during the summer transfer window. While Arne Slot's squad was splashing out record fees on Hugo Ekitike, Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and others, Diaz was sold to Vincent Kompany's team. He has flourished in Germany, registering 23 goals and 18 assists across 39 matches in all competitions.

Gerrard had a prime view at the Bernabeu as Diaz put Bayern ahead 1-0 just before the interval in their Champions League quarterfinal encounter. Following Diaz's superb strike, the ex-Liverpool skipper acknowledged that both he and his old club are feeling his absence.

When questioned on TNT Sports about whether his previous team would value having Diaz available now, he responded: "Oh yeah, we do (miss him), we miss him a lot.

"He's been quite quiet in this game, surprisingly. But you can't sleep when Luis Diaz is about. The timing of his run, his speed, and the finish is exquisite."

Diaz slipped past his ex-teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold before connecting with a through ball from Serge Gnabry and drilling a first-time effort beyond Andriy Lunin. It could turn out to be a decisive goal in the tie.

Gerrard admitted Liverpool misses Diaz in its attack(Image: Getty Images)

Diaz has outscored every Liverpool player this season, with Ekitike's tally of 17 goals coming closest to rivaling him.

With Alexander Isak still recovering from the broken leg he sustained just before Christmas, the absence of Diaz will undoubtedly be felt deeply among Liverpool supporters.

Nevertheless, Slot made it abundantly clear that the club harbors no regrets over the decision to sell him. He said: "Luis Diaz is another example of how this club is run.

"If this club gets for a 28-year-old an offer like that, then, because it is built on sustainability, it chooses to sell a player. We are an exception in the Premier League, especially at the top of the Premier League for that."

He also hinted that Diaz might not have been a topic of discussion had Isak not been sidelined for such an extended period.

The Dutchman added: "Forwards cannot be rotated in the way we would like. It is maybe more fair to say that if Alex had been fit would we have spoken about this as well?"

Slot's full attention will be firmly fixed on PSG on Wednesday. He urged his players to replicate the performance they produced in the opening 35 minutes against Manchester City at the weekend, when they were on top of the game.

Slot said: "The first 35 minutes (against City) gives me a lot of confidence that we are able to go toe to toe against a team that, combined with Paris Saint-Germain, is for me one of the best – or the best – two teams in open play."