Jamie Carragher says Sadio Mane is the first world-class left winger that the Reds have had since John Barnes left around three decades ago – and he’s up there with Eden Hazard and Raheem Sterling at the moment when it comes to best in the world in his position.
Mane, who scored 22 times in the Premier League last season, has started the new campaign in great form despite having returned very late for pre-season training having been at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Right now, there are very, very few players better than him in world football, and Carragher rates him extremely highly.
Writing for the Daily Telegraph, he explained: “As left-sided attackers, I would rate Mane, Raheem Sterling and Eden Hazard as currently the best.
“Mane is Liverpool’s first genuinely world-class winger since John Barnes and the club’s best wide left player for almost 30 years. That in itself is a big explanation for why Liverpool have never quite taken that final step in the Premier League.”
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Lots of Reds fans bemoan the fact that Raheem Sterling left the club, and understandably so given the player he has gone on to become, but Mane might not have been brought in had Sterling not gone to Manchester City.
We would certainly rather have the Senegalese – we wouldn’t swap Mane for anyone – though both will score plenty this season.