Sadio Mane has only mentioned one of Liverpool’s current stars when naming his ultimate player
Sadio Mane snubbed former Liverpool teammates Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk while naming his ultimate player.
The 30-year-old, who ended his six-year tenure at Liverpool to join German giants Bayern Munich last summer, was asked to choose a player from the following
categories: speed, dribbling, intelligence, flair , finishing, leadership and defense.
Only one current Liverpool player has been named by Mane – and that was Jordan Henderson for the England midfielder’s leadership qualities.
Let’s take a closer look at Mane’s advice:
Speed: Alphonso Davies
The obvious choice, for sure. Alphonso Davies is absolutely fast. Dribbling: Jamal Musiala.
You really praise for the nineteen year old, who represented England at various youth levels before debuting his senior Germany in 2021.
Intelligence: Joshua Kimmich
Bayern Munich and Germany regularly Joshua Kimmich is an act of class. It is not surprising that Manels evaluates him as the most intelligent football player with whom he played.
Flair: Leroy Sane
Has Mane played with someone more skilled than Leroy Sane in Liverpool? Thiago, maybe? Salah?
Finish: Original Divock
Okay, we didn’t see this response coming. Salah scored goals for fun while playing alongside Mane.
Origi, meanwhile, scored 41 goals in 175 games for Liverpool, averaging one goal every 4.2 games.
Management: Jordan Henderson
Manuel Neuer, Thomas Muller and Kimmich are Bayern Munich captains, but Mane has overlooked them all in favor of Hendo.
Defender: Kalidou Koulibaly
Kalidou Koulibaly is Mane’s international teammate, which could explain why he picked Chelsea defender Van Dijk. But in the eyes of many, Van Dijk has been the best centre-back in the world for several years.
Koulibaly, on the other hand, struggled in his debut season in the Premier League.
Video: Sadio Mane chooses his Ultimate Player
Watch the video of Mane’s selection
How is Mané at Bayern Munich?
Mane had been out of action since November with a knee injury but started the season well, scoring 11 goals in his first 23 games. He won his first trophy with Bayern last July, scoring Bayern’s second goal in a 5-3 win over RB Leipzig in the German Super Cup.
Mane returned to full training on Sunday and his recovery from injury is a timely boost for manager Julian Nagelsmann, whose side were beaten 3-2 by Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday.
Bayern are now tied (43) with Borussia Dortmund and Union Berlin at the top of the Bundesliga table after 21 matches.