By Agencies
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has stated that he had doubts about winger Sadio Mane when he was in charge of Borussia Dortmund.
Klopp was interested in Mane during his days in charge of Dortmund, which almost led to him signing the Senegal international back in 2014.
The move never eventuated, which saw Mane move from Salzburg to Southampton, which arguably was the defining move in his career.
The move to Southampton eventually led to Klopp signing him at Liverpool for a fee of £34 million back in the summer of 2016.
Unlike when Klopp was at Dortmund and considering signing Mane, he certainly had no doubts about the player that was arriving at Liverpool.
“It was simply a wrong evaluation of my side. I thought at that time that it was a lot of pressure on Dortmund and this transfer it had to be right,” said Klopp to the media when asked about why he didn’t bring Mane to Dortmund all those years ago.
“It is not the only wrong decision I have made, but this one I could correct some years later!”
Mane has been exceptional since signing for the Reds. He was voted the world’s fourth best player for 2019 in the Ballon d’Or, which highlights how good he has become.
One could argue that he is Liverpool’s best player. There is a sense that Klopp believes that, as he rarely is rested due to how important he is to the side.
Hopefully there are many more years to come with Mane lighting up Anfield.
