Former Liverpool striker Sadio Mane became a big player during Jurgen Klopp’s time at the helm, but he failed to impress some people during his early days at Southampton
Sadio Mane may have left a lasting impression at Liverpool, but he seemingly didn’t impress some during his early days at Southampton.
The Senegal forward, 32, was one third of one of the Premier League’s most effective attacking trios in recent memory alongside Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino.
He earned his dream move to Liverpool in the summer of 2016 by catching the eye at Southampton. After joining the Saints from Red Bull Salzburg, Mane went on to plunder 25 goals in 75 appearances before the Reds came calling.
But while he turned out to be a great signing for both Liverpool and Southampton, his former Saints team-mate Shane Long was far from convinced on Mane, who he says looked “horrendous” at times before backtracking.
“When Sadio first came with first team, he was horrendous,” Long told Ben Foster’s ‘Fozcast’. “Obviously, he wasn’t horrendous, I take that back but he had these moments where you thought, ‘Ooh he’s got something here’. You used to kick him and hurt yourself, he had that strength about him.
“He could take on everybody and then kick it into Row Z trying to cross the ball, he could run it off the pitch. But then [Ronald] Koeman managed to coach him and train him and he just hit this run of form which made you think this guy could go to the very top.”
Mane would go on to establish himself as one of the Premier League’s top forwards during his time at Anfield, during which he scored 120 goals in 259 games.
Mane made the decision to quit the Reds in search of a new challenge in the summer of 2022 and subsequently joined Bayern Munich. His time in Germany was underwhelming, though, and he was offloaded to Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.
Despite his struggles since leaving, Mane was left in doubt over his Liverpool status with Jurgen Klopp referring to him as one of the club’s “greatest ever” players.
The German said at the time: “He leaves with our gratitude and our love. He leaves with his status among the greats guaranteed. And, yes, he leaves in a moment where he is one of the best players in world football.
“But we must not dwell on what we now lose, instead celebrate what we were privileged to have. The goals he scored, the trophies he won; a legend, for sure, but also a modern-day Liverpool icon.”
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