TalkSport reporter Alex Crook has been discussing the futures of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah at Liverpool.
Liverpool managed to bag the first major domestic trophy of the season as they were victorious in the League Cup final after an 11-10 win on penalties.
They remain capable of winning the quadruple as they are still in all three of the other competitions, so this could be the start of a magical season for them.
However, once this season is over, there are a lot of conversations that need to happen when it comes to the futures of a number of Liverpool players who will be in the final 12 months of their contracts, and the famous front three of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino are all in that category.
Speaking about Mane and Salah on the TalkSport GameDay podcast following his praise of January singing Luis Diaz, Crook hinted that the club may only be big enough for both of Mane and Salah going forward, and that when push came to shove, it may well be the Senegalese forward that is moved on whilst the Egyptian stays on at Anfield.
He said: “They have to keep Mohamed Salah. I spoke to Ian Rush, actually, before the game and he encouraged him to commit his future to Liverpool and quote, ‘go on to be a legend like Steven Gerrard, like Kenny Dalglish’.
“I just don’t see how they keep Salah and Mane. And I think Mane will be the one to miss out and probably end up signing for a new club.”
TIF Thoughts on Alex Crook’s comments about Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah at Liverpool…
Does Mane deserve a new deal?
Yes
No
Given the emergence of players like Diaz, as well as the form of Diogo Jota, it was always going to be a case that the front three would be broken up eventually, and given their contract situations, this summer does seem like the appropriate time for players to be moved on whilst they can get some decent money for them.
And given the form of the two men this season, with Salah blitzing Mane in terms of production by 27 goals to 13 and 10 assists to 1, it’s not even close when it comes to arguing who the more important player is for Liverpool right now.
So as Crook hints, if indeed the club have to get rid of one of them this summer, it does look as if Mane would be the one that would have to go, as a golden era in Liverpool’s attack starts to dwindle away.
In other news: ‘He’s made for Liverpool’ – Player compared to Mo Salah tipped for surprise Anfield move