‘I don’t think he could play on after that’ – Pundit offers three bizarre reasons as to why he believes Sadio Mane left Liverpool this summer

Trevor Sinclair has provided three reasons why he believes Sadio Mane left Liverpool for Bayern Munich this summer.

The Senegal international finally completed his move to the Bundesliga giants earlier this week and ended a six-year stay at Anfield.

Despite him winning every major trophy possible during his time on Merseyside and being a huge favourite of the fans, Sinclair believes there’s some off-field factors that resulted in the AFCON winner wanting to leave the club.

“This Sadio Mane transfer is obviously universally accepted now he’s left Liverpool Football Club as a club legend. But I keep on hearing some fans and ex-players saying ‘I don’t know why he’s left?’ Let me tell you why he’s left,” Sinclair told talkSPORT.

“One, I don’t think he’s ever been lauded and appreciated at the football club like Virgil van Dijk or Mo Salah.

“Two, the fact that Liverpool let his contract go down to the last year kind of suggests that that’s how they felt about him.

“Three, I think the main thing is that Jurgen Klopp lost him when he came out and belittled the AFCON tournament which his manager (for Senegal) Aliou Cisse had to come out and defend the AFCON and said ‘you were coming second until our African players started playing for you’.

“Mane is a man of principles, you’ve seen him buy hospitals, buy schools and all the rest of it in his home town of Senegal and it’s for these reasons I feel Sadio Mane’s thought, you know what, I’m going, I’m leaving the club.

“He’s had a good time, he’s been a club legend but I don’t think he could play on after that.”

READ MORE: Ex-Red urges Jurgen Klopp to sign Brazilian winger who will put ‘pressure’ on Mo Salah

The three reasons that Sinclar has provided are bemusing to say the least.

Mane was adored by the fans and his song was one of the most common that you’d often hear belting from the Kop, so to suggest that he may not have felt appreciated is rather odd.

In terms of his contract situation, of course it was frustrating to see his deal enter the final 12 months and therefore run the risk of losing him on a free, but Mo Salah and Bobby Firmino are in the exact same situation at the moment – does that mean they’re not wanted by the club anymore?

And to once again bring up Klopp’s comments regarding AFCON is quite boring.

The German boss has explained that what he said was taken the wrong way so to claim our former No. 10 left as a result of those comments is again bemusing.

Mane loved the club, the club loved Mane.

It just appears that he wanted to seek a fresh challenge elsewhere after tasting so much success in a Red shirt.

We wish him all the best in Munich!

#Ep55 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: Farewell Sadio Mane, Mo Salah contract hope… & more!