Liverpool forward Sadio Mane has explained why people assumed he was injured when he was taken off in an African Cup of Nations qualifier for Senegal.
In the 2-0 win over Namibia, he took a knock on the back of his knee. He was happy enough to carry on and in the second half, he was taken off due to tactical considerations rather than due to the injury he sustained. He told Liverpoolfc.com:
“I’m fit. It’s true I got a little kick in the back of the knee, but it was nothing special – it happened in the first half and I played for the rest of the game. I’d spoke with the coach and because we have new players, he wanted to try [them] and change me, so the substitution was not due to injury.”
After impressing fans and pundits alike with his performances against Arsenal, Tottenham and Burton Albion in his three competitive matches for the Reds, Anfield will be hotly anticipating the 24 year old’s first outing at home. Liverpool will be facing Leicester City on Saturday night with it likely to be a sellout capacity crowd as the new main stand is opened for the first time – increasing it’s capacity by 8500 seats, and moving the ground’s overall capacity to 54,742.
