Paul Merson believes Liverpool's sale of Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich is "the worst bit of business" he has ever seen in football.
The Senegalese forward ended a glorious six-year stint at Liverpool in the summer, joining Bayern Munich in a £35 million switch and penning a three-year deal.
Mane has already been ripping it up in the Bundesliga with three goals in as many games, including a brace in the 7-0 hiding inflicted on VFL Bochum last weekend.
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Meanwhile, with Mane no longer around, Liverpool failed to record a victory in their opening three fixtures.
The former Southampton man scored 120 goals for the club and was integral in their Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup triumphs under Jurgen Klopp.
He wanted to move on to a new challenge but former Arsenal legend Merson has slammed the decision to offload him.
"No one’s got started yet for Liverpool, no one’s playing well,” Merson said on Sky Sports on Saturday.
“With Sadio Mane, I thought it was the worst bit of business I’ve ever seen in football for a long, long time. It was one of the worst I’ve ever seen.
“£30m for a big-game player. If I’m the owner of the club, I want to win the league and you keep Mane to give yourself the best chance of that.
“Let him go for free next summer, he’s done enough and it’s £30m. I think that’s come back to bite them.
“They haven’t got started but I wouldn’t be worried yet. I’d be amazed if they finished outside the top four.”
Merson has already gone on record to say Liverpool getting rid of Mane is a major mistake, while past comments from Jamie Carragher on the Africa Cup of Nations winner have gone viral after Liverpool's slow start.
Though Liverpool still have the likes of Mo Salah, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez in their ranks, Mane's contributions cannot be be looked past.
Former Chelsea and Arsenal defender William Gallas claims the Reds won't reach the top four after losing the 30-year-old.
Topics: Liverpool, Sadio Mane, Paul Merson, Premier League, Bayern Munich
Josh Lawless