Joleon Lescott has backed his old club Manchester City to pip Liverpool once again to the Premier League title this term.
The ex-defender highlighted the departure of key Reds forward Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich, noting the loss would hurt the side significantly.
“I think it’s going to be slightly more difficult for Liverpool. I know they’ve signed Nunez, but without Mane, they can’t be as strong,” the former Sky Blues star told PA news agency (via the Express and Star). “The same could be said about Manchester City losing Raheem, but in regards to Liverpool losing Mane I think that’s a huge loss.”
The Merseysiders have recruited well to replace the Senegalese international, signing Darwin Nunez for £64m who played a crucial role in the 3-1 win over Pep Guardiola’s men in the Community Shield.
The breakup of the traditional forward line of Bobby Firmino, our old No.10 and Mo Salah that frightened European outfits for several seasons was inevitable.
Still, we can’t discount the impact the loss of such quality will have on the pitch, especially given how critical the former RB Salzburg star was last term when our Egyptian King’s performances took a nosedive after some international heartbreak.
Manchester City have lost some important figures of their own, of course, though it remains unclear as to who will suffer the most out of the two sides throughout the upcoming campaign.