Barcelona great Rivaldo has urged Roberto Firmino not to leave Liverpool amid links with Barcelona.
The 30-year-old is in the final 18 months of his contract at Anfield and has been linked with a move away in recent months.
A combination of Diogo Jota's impressive form, and injury problems, has meant Firmino's game time has been severely reduced so far this season.
The Brazilian has made just 15 Premier League appearances so far this season, and now faces more competition for a place in Jurgen Klopp’s side following the January arrival of Luis Diaz.
EXCLUSIVE: Liverpool and FSG investors RedBird not interested in Chelsea takeover
READ MORE: Liverpool lineups as Harvey Elliott and Luis Diaz decisions made for West Ham United
The winger joined Liverpool from Portuguese club Porto in January and has quickly settled into life as part of Klopp’s side.
Diaz started the Carabao Cup final last weekend and was a constant threat to the Chelsea defence at Wembley as the Reds won their first domestic cup for a decade.
But Rivaldo has hit back at the claims that Firmino needs to leave Liverpool in the summer and has instead set him a challenge of once again proving his worth.
“Roberto Firmino has been losing out to Diogo Jota for starts at Liverpool and now Luis Diaz is another threat to his time on the pitch,” he told Betfair via the Daily Mirror.
“Plenty of people are already saying that he should leave in the summer to not compromise his place in Brazil’s World Cup squad.
“But I disagree with that. Once he’s back from injury he should keep battling to recover his starting position at Liverpool because he still has the quality.
“Signing for a new club so close to the World Cup is a big risk with no guarantee that he will be a certain starter, so, I suppose the best for him is to stay in Liverpool and convince Jurgen Klopp again.”
