"Attitude, desire and personality bang on" - Rio Ferdinand left in awe of Liverpool star's performance against Crystal Palace

Former Man United centre-back Rio Ferdinand took to social media to praise Liverpool winger Luis Diaz for his performance against Crystal Palace in his team's 1-1 draw on Monday, August 15.

The Reds started the game with Darwin Nunez, Mohamed Salah, and Diaz in attack. Liverpool conceded in the 32nd minute when Wilfred Zaha was played through by Eberechi Eze.

Zaha had no problem beating Nathaniel Phillips with pace and slotted the ball past Alisson Becker to open the scoring. Manager Jurgen Klopp was forced to rethink his tactics when Nunez got himself foolishly sent off for headbutting Joachim Andersen in the 57th minute.

It seemed like the game was over there and then for the 2019-20 Premier League champions, but Diaz had other plans. The Colombia international wriggled through Palace's defenders, cut inside on to his right foot, and hit an unstoppable shot past Vicente Guaita to make it 1-1 in the 61st minute.

Just like his performance against Fulham in their 2-2 draw on August 6, Diaz was mesmerizing down the left flank. The former FC Porto star even helped in defense when Palace had the chance to launch counter attacks.

He stood out in what was otherwise a bleak performance from Liverpool, and Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand couldn't stop himself from praising the winger on Twitter.

He wrote:

"What a player Diaz is… attitude, desire, personality bang on!"

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Liverpool need to make signings before the transfer window deadline

Nunez's red card means the Uruguayan striker is set to miss Liverpool's clash against Manchester United on Monday, August 20. Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota are already on the sidelines, which means Klopp has no strikers to choose from for that match.

To add to their misery, their midfield was depleted after Thiago Alcantara's injury. Even when the Spain international was fit, it was evident that the club could use depth in that area.

James Milner (37) and Jordan Henderson (31) aren't spring chickens anymore, while Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have had bad luck with injuries throughout their time on Merseyside.

Klopp, hence, would be wise to sign a central midfielder in the mold of Matheus Nunes and Jude Bellingham at the earliest. The Reds have been linked with the former this summer, while a deal for Bellingham is unlikely to be struck before the end of the current season.

A new striker wouldn't hurt either. The club lost Sadio Mane, Divock Origi, and Takumi Minamino during this window and only managed to sign Uruguayan Darwin Nunez in attack.