Written by James Cranford – @jamescranford89
Sadio Mané has been in sparkling form for the Reds recently, scoring a brace against Manchester City, and providing a brilliant goal and assist against Manchester United. There has been a long running contract saga surrounding Mo Salah this season, featuring comments from people within the Egyptian FA, a tweet consisting solely of emojis and every Liverpool fan having a strong opinion.
Less has been said about Mo’s Senegalese strike partner. Mané’s contract also expires at the end of next season, and with the 30-year-old gaining a new lease of life through the middle, should there be a similar level of clamour for him to sign as there is for Salah?
On the latest episode of our Journo Insight Show, Neil Jones for an update on Sadio Mané’s contract situation.
Neil said:
“He’s playing in a different position and it’s almost like it has just unlocked the rest of the pitch to him. You look at what he’s done in the last few weeks: pressing from the front to score a goal at Wembley, right foot volley, that finish on Tuesday night was unbelievable, the assist for salah. It’s almost like it has taken him out of his box a little bit. I don’t reckon it changes Liverpool’s opinion of him, because I think they’ve always had the highest possible opinion of him, but it might just open up a new door and say ‘he’s our number 9’. I’ve always been of the opinion, I still am, that the next best thing if you can’t get him to sign a contract is to keep all three of them and just get the worth out of them, because I think the money that you would get for any of the them is offset by the value that they add to the team.”
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Redmen Reacts
To lift a quote from Mark Twain: reports of the death of Sadio’s Liverpool career have been greatly exaggerated!
The Senegalese attacker has been on fire since the signing of Luis Díaz and is almost certain to break the 20-goal barrier in all competitions this season. Roberto Firmino feels like the likeliest of Jurgen’s ‘traditional’ front three to leave the club when his contract expires. We have seen with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller that attacking players can continue to be effective into their mid 30s.
Sadio has only just turned 30, so could therefore have a few more years at the top. The club should look to extend his contract and gradually reduce his playing time as he ages. Sadio is a Liverpool legend and deserves to inspire and bring through the next generation of attacking talent at the club. His recent performances have suggested he has more than a few miles left in the tank.
