Sadio Mane has said that his former Liverpool teammates were “sad” after he penned a lengthy text message signalling his farewell.
The Senegalese was confirmed to be departing Anfield this summer in a switch to German giants Bayern Munich. The switch - worth £35m - sees the forward draw to a close a hugely successful six-year spell on Merseyside following a 2016 move from Premier League rivals Southampton.
In that time, Mane has become a hugely pivotal and popular member of the first-team. He scored 120 goals in 269 appearances for the Reds - those strikes being crucial to the side winning the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and much more under the stewardship of Jurgen Klopp.
It was also his electric understanding with fellow forwards Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino that endeared him to the Kop faithful.
Ahead of completing his switch to the Allianz Arena, Mane has revealed that he penned a heartfelt farewell to his former Liverpool teammates, whilst noting that they were left disappointed at the fact that he has left the club.
Asked if he had the opportunity to say goodbye to Klopp and his teammates by Liverpool’s official website, he said: “Yeah, sure. After when both clubs agreed [the transfer], I sent a long text to say goodbye to everybody, which is normal.
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“They were sad, as I was, but it is part of life. We just have to accept it.”
Whilst the current Liverpool players will no doubt be disappointed at seeing the former Red Bull Salzburg winger leave Anfield, Mane did not attempt to hide his admiration of the current crop of players at Anfield, as well as boss Jurgen Klopp.
He continued: “Yeah, sure, I think since day one [when] I spoke with him [Klopp] to join Liverpool FC I think we had a really, really, really good relationship and [he is] a great manager.
“He has heart and also like I said now, he dedicated himself [and that] makes him so special. Of course, he helped me a lot to become the player I am, and the staff and all the boys, the players. And myself, like I always said, I never stopped working hard as well.”
The departure of Mane is likely to all-but bring Liverpool’s major summer business to a close with Takumi Minamo also on the verge of a move to Monaco. As the pair exit Anfield, the Reds have already secured the services of his successor with the potential club record signing of Benfica striker Darwin Nunez.
Meanwhile, youngsters Fabio Carvalho and Calvin Ramsay have been signed from Fulham and Aberdeen respectively. There might still be some players to leave the club but only predominantly youngsters, who will seek loan spells away from Anfield.
