Former Liverpool midfielder Salif Diao has suggested that Sadio Mane left the club due to a lack of ‘love’ from Jurgen Klopp.
In quotes from the Liverpool Echo, Diao claimed that Mane left Liverpool because of Klopp.
“I think he has been here for a couple of years and I think at some point he thought he did not have the love that he needed really, here at Anfield. I’m not talking about the fans, for him I think it was more with the manager,” said the 45-year-old.
“Things weren’t really going on as they should be so that’s why he decided to go for a new challenge. I think as a top player, every time you stay 4-5 years at a top club, sometimes it’s good to go for a new challenge.”
Klopp bottom of Mane’s list of reasons
Perhaps we’ll never know the exact reason behind Mane’s desire to leave Liverpool this summer.
But to push to be sold by a club you’ve been at for six years is not wholly unusual for a player. There doesn’t necessarily have to be an underlying reason.
In this case, Diao looks to be reaching. From the outside looking in, the relationship between Klopp and Mane couldn’t have been better.
The manager regularly gushed over the 30-year-old and continued to play him despite some desperately poor form.
If Mane had been disappointed by working under the German, he had six years of seemingly being happy to do so.
Of course, it shouldn’t be forgotten that Diao is a countryman of Mane. As a result of them both playing for Liverpool, they may very well be familiar with each other. That could add some weight to Diao’s suggestion.
But here, we just can’t see it. As far as manager’s go, Klopp is an incredibly loving one towards his players. He never castigates them publicly and shows consistent support and interaction.
Whatever the reasons Mane had for leaving Liverpool, surely the manager was at the bottom of that list.
