Kyle Walker recalled the days of being scared to death by a former Liverpool winger at the peak of his powers.
Not Mo Salah, but former Red Sadio Mane who’s now plying his trade in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Nassr.
The Manchester City footballer pointed to the ‘raw’ talents of the Senegal international as part of a formidable forward lineup at the time.
“Sadio Mane was a nightmare for me. He was more raw, he had certain movements he would do, I think he was playing in a very good Liverpool team, with Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, who was dropping deep. He was good. Even at Southampton,” the England international spoke on the You’ll Never Beat Kyle Walker podcast on BBC Sounds.
The former Southampton star enjoyed a positive record against the Etihad-dwelling outfit, registering 11 goal contributions across 21 meetings with the Sky Blues.
The Merseysiders eventually sold Mane to Bayern Munich for an initial £27.5m in 2022.
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Liverpool miss the ruthlessness of a Sadio Mane
There’s not a doubt in our minds that Luis Diaz is just a joy to watch at Liverpool.
The Colombian international is electric on the left wing and all-round tricky customer to deal with for opposition defences. He’s even registered 18 goal contributions this season as we returned to the top four spots.
His only crime, really, is that he’s not Sadio Mane.
Coupled with the sheer selflessness of false nine Bobby Firmino, the now 32-year-old shone in six glorious seasons at Anfield.
It says a great deal, for instance, that in his final campaign under Jurgen Klopp’s Reds, he managed to amass 27 goal contributions in 51 games.
His best-ever haul in 2019/20 – 32 goal contributions in 47 games – is a hard act to follow for any left-sided winger at Liverpool.