Michael Owen cannot fathom why Sadio Mane would want to leave Liverpool at the peak of his powers. But he insists that the African winger will go down as an Anfield legend regardless.
Mane has been an integral component of Jurgen Klopp's team for the past six seasons, helping the Reds to end their 30-year wait for a league title as well as winning a host of other trophies including the Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup. But on Wednesday, his protracted move to Bundesliga side Bayern Munich was finally confirmed, bringing his illustrious Liverpool career to a close.
And former Reds goal machine Owen, who now works in the game as a television pundit, cannot make sense of the 30-year-olds decision to leave the club.
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Writing on Twitter, he said: "I’m still struggling to understand why Sadio Mane would leave Liverpool for Bayern Munich but he’s been an outstanding player, given great service and will go down as a club legend."
Mane has joined Munich in a deal that is worth an initial £27.4m but could rise to £35m with add-ons for appearances and individual and team achievements. His exit breaks up Liverpool's established formidable forward line, which for a sustained period consisted of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Mane. The arrivals of Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz shook up the established order up front, but Mane was rarely rotated, operating in different positions across the front three.
His exit, combined with the arrival of new striker Darwin Nunez, means supporters will be watching a freshened-up strike combo next season. Mane scored 120 goals for the Reds in 269 appearances across six seasons, after joining from Southampton in 2016 for £34million.
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