Jamie Redknapp gushed about Liverpool attacker Sadio Mane after the Reds defeated Southampton 2-1 on Saturday.
The former Reds midfielder claimed that the 27-year-old winger was currently producing magic on the pitch and would walk into any team as a result.
Redknapp highlighted Mane’s goal against Southampton, he dubbed it a screamer, before pointing out that no one had scored more Premier League goals in 2019 than the Senegal international.
“Sadio Mane is making a great case to be considered Liverpool’s main man above Mohamed Salah,” wrote Redknapp for the Daily Mail.
“The 27-year-old is producing magic on the pitch and would walk into any team. He showed that against Southampton, scoring a screamer then setting up Roberto Firmino to confirm the 2-1 win.
“The statistics highlight his impact.
“No one has scored more Premier League goals than him in 2019. He took his tally to 15 on Saturday, and not a single one of those has come from the penalty spot.
“In Liverpool’s last 30 games, Mane has scored 20 goals, Salah has put away 12 and Firmino eight.
“It is three years ago this week that Mane made his league debut for Liverpool, scoring the fourth goal in a 4–3 win at Arsenal. He is now performing as well as he has ever done under Jurgen Klopp.”
OPINION
Redknapp seems to be arguing that Mane should be considered Liverpool’s main man ahead of Mohamed Salah, yet Jurgen Klopp needs both on top-form if he is to bring silverware to Anfield this season. The fact the Reds’ main man isn’t clear, they have several amazing players, shows how good Liverpool’s current first-team is. Mane and Salah jointly shared the Premier League Golden Boot last season, alongside Arsenal’s Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, by scoring 22 league goals, and if the Reds are to go one better this season and win the league title, both need to achieve similar numbers this season to give their side the best chance. Mane has already got his 2018/19 campaign off to a flying start, he has scored three goals in three outings and averaged a rating of 7.34 (Source: WhoScored), and that’s impressive considering he didn’t have much of a break in the summer. The 27-year-old scored four goals in this summers African Cup of Nations to help Senegal reach the final, and ahead of the season starting there seemed to be a genuine concern about whether he would be 100%, yet he’s already silenced the doubters.
