Former Tottenham and England forward Darren Bent has shared his thoughts on who should replace Sadio Mane at Liverpool.
The Senegalese international left the club after six years of service to Jurgen Klopp, scoring 120 goals and winning six trophies, including a domestic cup double this season.
He was officially announced as a Bayern Munich player yesterday, and Bent has suggested Liverpool have an in-house replacement at the club in Diogo Jota.
“I don’t think you can replace him straight away just man-for-man because I think he’s too good," he told talkSPORT.
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“But if (Luis) Diaz gets his numbers up in terms of goals and assists and Jota’s scoring goals… He was kind of the forgotten man towards the end of last season, but he stepped in and was brilliant.
“Diaz, (Roberto) Firmino’s still there and obviously (Mohamed) Salah speaks for himself, so they’ve still got so many different options in that front three area.”
Jota wasn’t preferred at the end of last season due to the rise of Mane in the central areas but has been consistently efficient in his two seasons at Liverpool.
He’s scored 34 goals in 84 matches since his £40m move from Wolverhampton Wanderers, providing nine assists.
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He’s never been a fixture at Anfield even with these excellent numbers.
However, the departure of Mane and arrival of Darwin Nunez could provide the foil for Jota to reach new heights at Liverpool.
In December 2020 he picked up a severe injury which kept him out for 3 months, a period in which Klopp’s men capitulated from league leaders to mid-table mediocrity.
On Jota’s return form picked up, though, with his goals away at Wolves, Arsenal and Manchester United key in Liverpool’s surge into the Champions League places.
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This season he began quickly, with goals against Norwich and Burnley in the opening matches of the campaign.
He made a habit of picking up vital goals, such as two against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup, a winner away at Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup, and an equaliser against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
Whilst Jota isn’t quite at Mane’s level yet, the load can clearly be shared between him, Diaz and Nunez alongside the old guard, Salah and Firmino.
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Topics: Liverpool, Liverpool Transfer News & Rumours, Darren Bent, Sadio Mane
Chris Stonadge