Former Liverpool favourite Dirk Kuyt has weighed in on how Sadio Mane and Mo Salah will be feeling after the pair experienced very different emotions at the Africa Cup of Nations recently.
Our star men met each other in the final of the tournament in Cameroon and it was our No. 10 that came out on top when Senegal defeated Egypt on penalties.
Kuyt was a Dutch international and was a part of the Netherlands squad that made it through to the 2010 World Cup final in South Africa only to be defeated by Spain – the Spanish squad included his Liverpool teammates Fernando Torres and Pepe Reina.
“I remember I was trying to make my run from outside to inside and during the match I saw Pepe Reina running down behind the linesman, yelling at the Spanish defenders that they need to watch me and need to be careful of my runs,” Kuyt told The Mirror (via the Liverpool Echo).
“That’s what you saw with Salah and Mane; Salah was trying everything to win that cup and you could see it with the penalty Mane had to take that the goalkeeper saved!
“I lost a World Cup final and it’s one of the saddest moments of my career but, after the match, the teammates from club sides came into the dressing rooms.
“Once you enter that white line and you’re inside the pitch, it’s like a war, but once the whistle goes and the game is over it’s finished.
Although Salah faced heartache whilst Mane got his hands on the trophy, our ex-No. 18 believes the pair can now work together to ensure they win silverware with the Reds this term.
“They are not only top, top football players, they are winners and they want to win as many trophies as they can possibly get,” Kuyt said.
“But they know they need each other to make it possible so I’ve no worries there will be any problems between them.”
The pair started together at Turf Moor on Sunday when we defeated Burnley 1-0 thanks to Fabinho’s first-half strike, and although the pair were kept quiet in Lancashire, we will need them at their best in the coming weeks as we continue our hunt for four different trophies this term.