One journalist has suggested that Liverpool’s decision to sell Sadio Mane last summer has come back to ‘cost’ them this season.
The Senegal forward departed for Bayern Munich nine months ago after spending six years on Merseyside, during which time he formed one of the most feared attacking trios in world football alongside Mo Salah and Bobby Firmino.
Although his exit was offset by the summer arrival of Darwin Nunez, and the subsequent mid-season acquisition of Cody Gakpo, Dean Jones has claimed that the Reds are now paying the price for letting the 30-year-old move on.
He told GIVEMESPORT: “I know they’ve had injuries and other things to contend with this season, but the fact that Salah hasn’t been delivering goals consistently and Mane wasn’t there to weigh in with other goals, I think it’s just really cost them and I think in the past that’s probably been covered up a little bit when that’s happening.”
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It’s beyond dispute that Mane was a top-class player during his six years with Liverpool, where he scored 120 goals in 269 appearances (Transfermarkt).
He hit double figures in each of his Premier League campaigns with the Reds, peaking with a 22-goal haul in 2018/19 (Transfermarkt) which saw him share the Golden Boot with Salah and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
It wasn’t just his goalscoring which made him stand out, either. He had tactical intelligence, an indefatigable attitude and a knack for cutting in effectively from the left flank, qualities which were always going to be difficult for Klopp to replace.
However, Liverpool’s decision to cash in last summer was understandable, with Mane having turned 30 and reportedly seeking a fresh challenge after his time on Merseyside (as per The Guardian), and with Nunez following Luis Diaz through the door to bolster the attacking ranks at Anfield.
We’ll always be grateful to Sadio for the brilliance he consistently displayed in a red shirt, but rather than pining for heroes of the past, it’s better to focus on those players who can help us now as the Reds hunt down a top-four finish in the Premier League over the final two months of the campaign.