Former Liverpool star Sadio Mane says his departure made Jurgen Klopp sad as he wanted him to stay

 

Sadio Mane has joined Bayern Munich  after an illustrious stay at Liverpool. The Senegalese forward has signed a three year deal with the Bavarian giants and will be looking to replicate the success that he has had with his national team and Liverpool in the past.

Mane after finalizing his deal with Bayern shared how Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was sad to see him leave the club. The 30-year-old spent six seasons in Merseyside after joining from Southampton and won every trophy possible scoring 120 goals in 269 appearances for the Reds.

It was his hunger to improve and contribute to this Liverpool attack that made him a different phenomenon. His ability to play anywhere upfront also helped Klopp shuffle around with different players after they added players like Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota for the left flank. Klopp would often deploy Mane as a centre forward and the Senegal international did his job with aplomb.

Mane was a large part of history and success that the club created and achieved starting from winning the Premier League to clinching the Champions League, the 30-year-old witnessed and played a crucial part in all of them. He is truly a Liverpool legend even though he was seeking for a different challenge elsewhere.

He joined Bayern to experience a new challenge, meet new people and experience a new culture in a different country. Bayern signed him for £35 million with bonuses on a three year deal.

During his unveiling Mane shared how Klopp was sad to see him leave the club. He said, “Klopp was a little bit sad but wished me all the best. I’ll always be grateful to him. Klopp is a very good guy, he wanted me to stay but understood my situation.”

The 30-year-old was one of the prime signings for Klopp early on as a Liverpool manager. His signing changed a lot of things for the German tactician. Therefore it was a very emotional moment for Klopp to see one of his mainstays leave Anfield.

On his departure, Klopp shared his views to the club’s official website as he tagged Mane as one of the greatest player to don the Liverpool red. He said, “It’s a big moment. There is no point in anyone trying to pretend otherwise. One of Liverpool’s greatest ever players is leaving and we must acknowledge how significant this is.”

Despite being very emotional , Klopp shared how he and his team will be looking forward from here but the German acknowledges that Mane is certainly one of the best in the world right now. “He leaves with our gratitude and our love. He leaves with his status among the greats guaranteed. And, yes, he leaves in a moment where he is one of the best players in world football. But we must not dwell on what we now lose, instead celebrate what we were privileged to have,” Klopp concluded.