Former Liverpool Star Explains Why Sadio Mane Left Club For Bayern Munich

The former Liverpool defender has spoken out on Mané’s transfer to Bayern and claims the Liverpool ‘legend’ made the right decision.

Škrtel made 320 appearances in the eight years he spent at Liverpool and left the club as a cult-hero to the Kop faithful.

The former Slovakian international was part of the Liverpool side that was going through somewhat of a transition period but was always a reliable force in the heart of defence.

Škrtel only managed one trophy during his spell at the Reds, the League cup in 2012, but was an ever-present as Liverpool were building towards the powerhouse they are nowadays.

While he won’t be viewed in as high a regard as Sadio Mané, the 37-year-old is a well respected player amongst Liverpool fans and he clearly still has a lot of love for the club.

Speaking to The Athletic, he had this to say about Mané’s departure:

“It is difficult to leave a club like Liverpool because if you are there, if you’re doing well like he was doing, and we can call him a legend because of what he achieved in the club, it’s brilliant.

“But I think each player, at a certain stage of his career, has a feeling that you need to change. You need some new motivation, a new challenge.

“After eight and a half years (with Liverpool), I also had that feeling like, ‘Oh, maybe I should change something’ to find a different kind of experience.

“I’m pretty sure it wasn’t an easy decision for him to leave the club. But he gave his maximum and did really well for the club, and now all you can do is wish him luck. If they (Bayern Munich) play in the future against Liverpool, I hope he won’t be at his best!”

Mané enjoyed a hugely successful eight-year spell at the club and his decision to leave definitely won’t have been an easy one to make.

The Senegalese international was a key player for Jürgen Klopp, scoring 120 goals in 269 games for the club, and in that time he won the Champions League, Club World Cup, Premier League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.

With his recent transfer to the German champions, Mané begins a new chapter in his career where he’ll be hoping to have as much success as he had in Merseyside.