Mohamed Salah took his Liverpool goal total to 41 in all competitions at the weekend. The Egyptian was crowned PFA Player of the Year as he was rewarded by his fellow professionals for his outstanding contribution to the Premier League season.
Salah hasn’t been the only Liverpool attacker to enjoy a stellar campaign with both Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane combining to make their front three one of the most feared in Europe. Mane’s return to form has enabled his teammates more space in forward areas, as opposition defenders have had to be wary about the pace and finishing threat of the trio.
The former Southampton winger clearly struggled to find his momentum again after his sending off against Manchester City and the hamstring injury which saw him miss a month. Jurgen Klopp even left him out for some games and the general consensus was that he hadn’t lived up to his debut term at Anfield.
However, he has been particularly exceptional in the last few months and proved that it was just a temporary blip. Mane has scored five goals in his last 12 matches since the hat-trick against Porto at the start of February.
His goal return has been nowhere near the level of Salah, but he has found the net at vital times. The opener against Bournemouth and the final strike in the 3-0 Champions League quarter-final victory over City were huge goals in Liverpool’s quest to reach their targets.
His equaliser against Crystal Palace came when he had already been booked for simulation and had another ruled out for offside. It’s a testament to his character that he just smiled and kept playing until he got the desired result.
Sadio Mane 2017/18: 17 goals, 8 assists, not even in LFC's top 3 players.
That's how much this side has progressed this season.
Mane has continually improved throughout his career having started his professional life with Metz in France before a move to Austria. “At Salzburg, Mane of course needed a little time to get used to the new environment, the new language and culture, and not least to the new style of play,” said former Salzburg General Manager and now Bayern Munich Head of Youth Development Jochen Sauer to The Sportsman.
“But we became aware that we would not be able to keep him too long in the Austrian league. He not only had exceptional skills in place but was otherwise highly professional.”
Southampton was the next stop for Mane and he took little time in making his mark on England. Manchester United were heavily linked with a move for the Senegalese international, but Liverpool used their relationship with the Saints to ensure he didn’t move across the M62.
“He's an outstanding player, he is someone that I used to absolutely hate training against,” admitted his former Southampton teammate Jason McCarthy to The Sportsman. “His quality was ridiculous at times.”
Mane has continued to illustrate his immense talent on an even greater scale since arriving on Merseyside. He has seven goals in eight appearances in his first campaign in Europe’s premier competition, as he continues to develop.
