Sadio Mane told the press before Liverpool’s Champions League clash with Real Madrid that he is happy at Liverpool despite Los Blancos’ interest.
The Senegal attacker has been a key performer for Liverpool yet again and has taken his game up a level this season, attracting interest from Real Madrid, according to Marca.
“Very good question!” he laughed after being asked if he’d like to play in La Liga amid Real Madrid links.
“I respect La Liga is a good league, they have great players, but the Premier League is also a wonderful league and every single player would want to play there.
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“So I have a chance to play there and I am very happy, so that’s cool.”
With 27 direct goal involvements, Mane’s game has taken on added quality this season and he is even more of a threat to defenders.
The former Southampton winger likes to run at fullbacks and has actually improved an area of his game that has come as a surprise.
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He has always been quite strong in the air but this season, he has looked to position himself between central defenders in anticipation of the superb deliveries Liverpool’s fullbacks constantly provide.
In fact, Mane has scored more goals (5) from headers this season than he did last season (2) and it could be something that he has been practising in training.
Given Barcelona’s relatively short team, Mane might be hopeful that he can score another header in Spain this evening just as he did in Munich to eject Bayern from the competition.
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Mane’s impact in Barcelona will be vital as he has taken on new levels of importance for Liverpool this season and will be desperate to win his first piece of silverware.
He scored 10 goals in last season’s Champions League tournament and having scored in every European tie he’s been a part of, he will be keen to continue that positive run by notching against Barcelona.