If anyone still needed convincing that Sadio Mane is a true Premier League great then Liverpool’s mauling of Manchester United on Tuesday night should have done the trick. The Senegalese striker spearheaded the Reds’ rampant attack and was instrumental in all four of his side’s goals, further emphasising Kevin De Bruyne’s claim that he is the “total package”.
The 30-year-old dropped deep with only five minutes played, pulling United’s Harry Maguire out of position, before swivelling and sliding in Mohamed Salah, who subsequently laid it on a plate for Luis Diaz to hit Liverpool’s Anfield opener. For the Reds second, the striker produced a simply sumptuous piece of skill.
Receiving a sharp pass from Joel Matip following some fast-flowing interplay from Jurgen Klopp’s side, Mane clipped a sublime first-time ball over United’s bewildered backline and into the path of the advancing Salah to duly slot home. The Senegalese striker then got in on the action himself, sweeping home with his left foot to finish off an incisive Reds attack.
Though he may not have been directly involved in his side’s fourth, Mane’s awareness to drop in the space between United’s disjoined defence and midfield created room for Diogo Jota to slide in Salah for his second of the Anfield annihilation. While Thiago may have been credited with producing a masterclass, Mane’s display shouldn’t be overlooked.
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It was a stunning performance from Liverpool’s No.10, a makeshift centre-forward so to speak, who is clearly thriving in his new role as false nine this season. That said, there doesn’t appear to be any position in attack where he doesn’t make an impact.
Since arriving on English shores with south-coast side Southampton back in 2014, as a promising yet raw 22-year-old, Mane has gone on to fill every position across the front line, achieving remarkable success while doing so. To start with, the Senegal star played support act to Graziano Pelle in the Saints attack, adopting the role of second striker.
His performances in that star-studded Southampton side swiftly prompted Liverpool to splash £34million to secure his services in the summer of 2016 and, at Anfield, he was soon cast as a right winger in Klopp’s team. Having helped fire the Reds back into the top-four picture, the arrival of Salah one year later saw Mane make yet another shift, this time to the left.
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Unperturbed by the enforced positional change made in order to accommodate another, Mane helped Liverpool clinch a sixth Champions League crown in 2019, before a long-awaited Premier League title followed 12 months later. And while he has still spent much of this season on the left, the January acquisition of Diaz has seen Mane make another switch, this time to the centre, where he is now spearheading Liverpool’s charge for the quadruple. And in some style too.
Mane’s remarkable versatility in attack is something very few Premier League forwards have been able to compete with over the years. The Liverpool star continues to assert himself as a complete forward – a claim which was actually made of him by De Bruyne back in April of 2020.
The Manchester City creator is often credited with being able to see the full picture before others, so it should come as little surprise that he foresaw Mane’s versatility two years ago. When discussing potential recipients of the Premier League’s prestigious Player of the Year award for that campaign, the Belgian picked out the Liverpool man, declaring he is the “total package”.
Speaking to BT Sport, De Bruyne stated: “I would say Mane. I think he has been the total package this year for Liverpool. He has been important, so if I had to choose somebody, I would choose Mane.”
In the two seasons since the statement, Mane has only gone on to add further weigh to De Bruyne’s “total package” claim. His smooth transition to a false nine role in recent times is just yet more evidence that he’s among the best English football has ever seen.
Klopp has assembled a star-studded squad at Anfield, but Mane, one of the German’s first ever signings at Liverpool, remains one of his finest. De Bruyne was right: Mane is the total package, and he should take his rightful place in amongst the Premier League’s all-time greats.
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