Sadio Mane missed the decisive penalty in Senegal’s shoot-out defeat to Cameroon on Saturday, but he has a realistic chance of featuring for Liverpool against Chelsea on Tuesday – just three days after his 120 minute run-out in Gabon.
Heartbreaking images of the 24-year-old crying his eyes out after the defeat were seen this weekend, so it’s just not just his physical well-being but also his state of mind that must be assessed.
SEE MORE:
Liverpool midfielder ruptures ankle ligaments: ‘Will be out for a while’
The club have chartered a private jet to get Mane back to Merseyside though, so he is in contention for game time, providing when Jurgen Klopp looks at the player in the eyes, he feels he’s ready!
Klopp on Mane’s involvement: “I don’t know exactly. Ray Haughan did outstanding job to get him back asap. He’s on the way back.”
— James Pearce (@JamesPearceEcho) January 30, 2017
Klopp on Mane: “When he’s back here I need to look into his eyes and see what is possible.”
— James Pearce (@JamesPearceEcho) January 30, 2017
Klopp: “I need to cut out the emotion when I judge situations. I need to stay calm and make the right decisions. We have to stay positive.”
— James Pearce (@JamesPearceEcho) January 30, 2017
Mane will obviously say he wants to play, so it’s up to the boss to decide whether or not he trusts our flyer to come straight back in.
In his absence Liverpool have been atrocious. We’ve won once in eight games since he left for the AFCON and been totally lifeless in attack, when we were so dynamic before Christmas with our summer signing on the right.
Fans would love to see Mane included and it would provide the whole ground, which has been as lifeless as the team recently, with a real boost.
But we trust Klopp to make the right decision. The last thing we want now is for Mane to pick up an injury having been over worked…