West Ham's Michail Antonio Makes Sadio Mane Claim That Will Worry Liverpool Fans

Sadio Mané’s Liverpool departure has left a hole in the Reds’ front line, and West Ham’s Michail Antonio think he’ll be missed more than some anticipate.

Mané scored 16 Premier League goals for Klopp's side last term across 32 starts.

He operated both as a left sided forward and as a striker as Liverpool ended up finishing runners-up in the English topflight behind Manchester City.

However, within one year left on his contract, the Reds decided to cash in on the Senegalese forward earlier in the transfer window.

He was allowed to move to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich in a deal worth up to £35.1 million.

His exit freed up space for a new record-breaking contract for Mo Salah and the £85 million acquisition of 23-year-old forward Darwin Nuñez.

Liverpool fans have made peace with his exit, accepting the fact Jürgen Klopp’s frontline is going to need a refresh sooner rather than later.

But West Ham striker Michail Antonio believes Liverpool fans don’t realise just how much Mané is going to be missed.

Speaking on the BBC’s The Footballer’s Podcast, Antonio asked Liverpool fan Rickie Haywood Williams, “how do you feel about losing Mané.”

After answering the question, Antonio went on to state: “In my eyes, I’m going to say this, Mané was your best player. Overall, he was your best player!”

Antonio’s assertion is a compelling one.

While Mo Salah receives most the plaudits for his relentless goal scoring, Mané was the one who often turned up when it mattered most for Liverpool last term.

He is a player who Kopites will doubtlessly miss. In an ideal world, Jürgen Klopp would have kept hold of a man who had been so crucial to his Liverpool success over the years.

But that doesn’t change the fact Mané is now 30 years old.

Sooner rather than later, his performance levels would have begun to decline, and Liverpool were wise to bring in a hefty transfer fee for the player while they still could.

That doesn’t mean he won’t be missed, but Liverpool’s decision to sell Mané was a sensible one.