Sadio Mane’s decision to depart Liverpool has certainly caused debate in the footballing world. On one hand, the Senegalese was a key man for Jurgen Klopp’s Reds, starting virtually every game, scoring goals for fun and in the best possible place to win further silverware.
On the other hand, he has played in the Premier League for eight seasons, won every major honour going at Anfield, and, having recently celebrated his 30th birthday, was well within his rights to seek a new challenge with nothing left to prove as, with his contract up in 2023, he negotiated the biggest deal of his career.
Then, of course, there was the Mohamed Salah factor. While talk of a feud between the attacking duo was always wide of the mark, despite the occasional on-field spat, they were inevitably competing for Anfield centre stage. And given the Egyptian’s superior goalscoring record, only one man was going to come out on top when it came to being Liverpool ’s leading man.
