It’s fair to say that Sadio Mane used to tear up the Austrian league.
Between 2012 and 2014, our new signing scored 45 goals in 87 appearances for Red Bull Salzburg, contributing 32 assists as well. It’s no wonder Southampton decided to spend £12m to buy him two years back, and deserve their hefty profit having prepared him for an elite club.
Time and time again in this highlights clip you’ll see Mane breaking through the defensive backline and finishing coolly in a one-on-one situation (check it out, Christian Benteke…), or waiting at the back-post for a tap-in.
It’s this kind of direct play we’ve lacked in our attack, and likely a very large part of the reason Jurgen Klopp was personally so keen on acquiring the Senegalese.
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