Former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane has been praised by ex-manager Jurgen Klopp for the amicability of his exit from Anfield this summer.
Mane, who scored 120 goals in 269 appearances for Liverpool across six seasons, joined the German champions Bayern Munich in a deal worth an initial £29m, rising to £36m.
He won six trophies in his time at Anfield, and Klopp praised his first major signing for not only the smoothness of the transition but for the player’s ability to reinvent himself:
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"Sadio, what can we say about Sadio, hey? What a player. A world-class player."
"He and we together reinvented him as a No.9 as well in the last season, which he played outstandingly well."
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"I like the way it happened now because it was completely clean."
"We knew, he told us, his agent told us, they wanted to leave, they wanted to have a new challenge, find a new club."
"[It’s] never easy negotiations – it’s all good until we talk about money, but that worked then really well.”
Mane joined the German champions and was handed the number 17 shirt.
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He was wished well by all Reds fans, for whom Mane was a hero for during his time with the club, despite some external sources believing that he was under appreciated at Anfield.
"So, as well a Liverpool legend, one of the all-time Premier League greats, I would say, with the numbers he has."
"A fantastic person as well. So, really happy for him that he is now at the club where he wants to be. He is very thankful for all the things we did, and we are very thankful. Now he is at another club."
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Despite selling Mane, Liverpool have invested well in their attack this summer, with the additions of Darwin Nunez and Fabio Carvalho.
So even without Mane, they should be able to challenge Manchester City for the Premier League title this season.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp, Sadio Mane