Brendan Rodgers Talks Raheem Sterling, More in Liverpool vs. United Presser

Brendan Rodgers is confident Raheem Sterling will resolve ongoing contract talks with Liverpool, but he said the player's representatives have shelved all talks over a new deal until the summer.

The 20-year-old forward's current deal at Anfield runs until 2017, but with Bayern Munich and Real Madrid circling, per the Daily Mail's Sami Mokbel, the Reds are eager to sign their star player to a long-term contract.

However, speaking ahead of Liverpool's key Premier League clash with Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday, Rodgers conceded that no talks will take place until after the end of the season, per the Daily Mail's Dominic King and the Liverpool Echo's James Pearce:

Liverpool will need Sterling to be at his best on Sunday with the Reds looking for what could be a vital victory over United in the race for the top four.

The Red Devils currently sit in fourth, two points ahead of Rodgers' fifth-placed side, thus a defeat for Liverpool could be catastrophic to their European ambitions.

Rodgers acknowledged the importance of the fixture and the long-term rivalry between English football's two most successful clubs, indicating how vital a victory could be, per Pearce:

Skipper Steven Gerrard appeared from the bench on Monday as the Reds beat Swansea 1-0 at the Liberty Stadium, their fifth league win on the bounce.

The Reds veteran could be set for a starting spot in Sunday's clash on Merseyside, and Rodgers spoke strongly in support of his captain following criticism of the 34-year-old during his recent injury, per football reporter Melissa Reddy:

Liverpool were beaten 3-0 in the reverse fixture back in December, but Rodgers' side have shown huge improvement since then and will be confident of claiming all three points given home advantage.

The importance of Sunday's game is massive, and Rodgers stated that the aim for his side for the rest of the season was to leapfrog Louis van Gaal's United into the Champions League qualification spots, per Hamish Mackay in the Mirror:

"Coming into Premier League is different to where he (Van Gaal) has managed before. For us the challenge is to get above them."

The Northern Irishman also confirmed that Lucas Leiva and Mario Balotelli were back to fitness and available for selection for Sunday's game, per Pearce:

Arguably still the biggest match in English football due to the history of both sides, United vs. Liverpool has more often in the past been a title decider, rather than a clash to simply see who finishes in the top four.

However, the stakes are still huge for Sunday's game, and it will likely be a tense, frenetic, high-quality encounter with both sides in decent form and desperate not to lose.