Sadio Mané on the brink of world-class status at Liverpool

Sadio Mane has become the scourge of almost every side he faces, according to the Evening Standard.

On Monday night, the Senegalese man rounded Wayne Hennessey and slotted the ball into the net to complete another incisive Liverpool breakaway counter-attack and condemn Crystal Palace to a 2-0 defeat. It was Mane’s third goal in two games for the Reds, and was the icing on the cake of another fine display.

In total, Mane now has six goals in eight appearances against Palace, including one for Southampton in 2014, and has scored against fourteen of the twenty teams currently in the Premier League.

Many believe Liverpool’s number ten is now on the brink of achieving genuine world-class status.

Mohamed Salah’s record-breaking debut season at Anfield last year eclipsed every other player in the Premier League, including his own prolific teammates. Mane and Roberto Firmino contributed heavily to Liverpool’s eighty-four goal haul in the league last season, but it was Salah’s spectacular thirty-two goal effort that resulted in him winning the majority of the praise from fans and pundits (as well as the Golden Boot).

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LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 20: Sadio Mane scores for Liverpool during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, London. (Photo by AFP)

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Mane started last season well but experienced a slump after being sent off in the 5-0 defeat to Man City in September. After completing his three-match ban, he failed to score in the following three matches before sustaining a knee injury while on international duty.

Manager Jurgen Klopp remained faithful to Mane during that time, stating: “I don’t think too much about it, to be honest. Even if Sadio is not at his best, he’s still a threat.” His confidence in the attacker was rewarded with a superb return to form in the latter stages of the season – a stunning strike against City in January was followed by a hat-trick against Porto in February.

Following Liverpool’s decision to pull out of the summer deal for Nabil Fekir, Mane was awarded the number ten shirt previously worn by Philippe Coutinho and has justified the move with his continued blistering form going into the new season.

His return of fourteen goals in his last eighteen games for the Reds is an impressive statistic, and is reported to have earned him a new soon-to-be-signed contract that should extend his time with Liverpool beyond 2021.

Reds fans would no doubt be delighted to see Mane remain at Liverpool for the foreseeable future as he continues to solidify his claim for world-class status.

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Source: anfieldhq.com