Jurgen Klopp has said that Sadio Mane wasn’t picked to face Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup yesterday, despite being fit to play.
Speaking post-match via liverpoolfc.com, Klopp said Mane was left out due to his upcoming international committments.
“In that moment it was clear that we will not use Sadio for the game because the game is too big in Africa,” said the manager.
“I don’t want to be twice the one who is doing things like that, which could be misunderstood. Mo was unavailable, only Sadio we left out”
Klopp seems to be referring to the comments which got him into hot water prior to the AFCON kicking off in January. After sarcastically calling the competition a ‘little tournament’, his comments were misinterpreted and caused offence across Africa.
Clearly wary of a repeat, the manager opted to leave Mane out against Forest.
Here we go again
Klopp is right to mention the enormity of the game in-store for Mane. Liverpool’s number 10 is gearing up to try to take his nation to the World Cup in Qatar in December.
Standing in his way is, once again, Liverpool colleague Mohamed Salah. Egypt take on Senegal on Friday evening, before the second-leg in Senegal next Tuesday.
It will be a chance for Salah to avenge the Egyptians AFCON final loss against the West Africans. After missing out on the chance to take a penalty during the final shootout in Cameroon, Mo will be desperate to lead his country into consecutive World Cups, at Mane’s expense.
Salah wasn’t involved for Liverpool either against Forest. But according to Klopp, that was owing to still feeling the effects of the foot injury he picked up last weekend.
“Mo felt the foot again from the Brighton game. Not massive, but it was clear that you would not be in a game like this if you have a little bit of pain here, or there. There is no chance,” Klopp said via liverpoolfc.com.
The Pharaohs will be sweating on Salah’s fitness, but there is no suggestion he will miss the big one against Senegal.
Legends go head to head
From a Liverpool perspective, it’s a shame that only one of Salah and Mane will grace the World Cup next winter.
We saw once again during AFCON exactly what representing their country means to both players. Mane, who Klopp called ‘incredible’ via liverpoolfc.com, has been rejuvenated since winning the trophy.
Salah on the other hand hasn’t quite been able to recapture the exceptional form that he took into the tournament in January.
After Mane came out on top last time around, perhaps then, it would be nice if Mo could take the win in this one. A confidence boost for the 29-year-old amidst his contract stand-off with the club would be a huge boost to The Reds chances of winning more silverware.
Either way, fingers crossed that both players come back fit and healthy and ready for a huge run-in with Liverpool.
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