Liverpool have struggled this season but one man continues to impress Neville
During his 19 seasons at Manchester United, Gary Neville went toe-to-toe with all manner of big-name opponents.
In a Twitter Q&A last May, he chose Marc Overmars as the player who gave him the toughest game.
The Dutchman scored in a 3-0 Charity Shield victory for Arsenal against United in 1998, and the winger’s performance has clearly lived long in Neville’s memory.
Neville again asked Twitter for questions on Wednesday afternoon, and one fan wanted to know which current player he believes would give him the hardest game.
Despite his long-established antipathy towards Liverpool, Neville chose Sadio Mane.
In a disappointing campaign for the champions, Mane has a record of seven goals in 23 matches.
That’s down considerably from 18 in 35 last season, but the 28-year-old is clearly still doing enough to impress Neville.
Speaking to ESPN Brasil last month, Mane responded to critics of his Anfield team-mate Roberto Firmino by claiming that the Brazilian is an underrated part of Jurgen Klopp’s squad.
The Senegal international said: “I always said that he deserves more credit than Salah and I, for sure. But, of course, the focus ends up being on who scores goals.
“But if it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t score as many goals as we scored. Brazil is very lucky to have Firmino. I always said that he should change his nationality and come to play in Senegal.
“For me, it would be a dream to play with him in the same team.
“I don’t know (how many assists he gave me), but this year, he hasn’t given me any assistance yet. I say, ‘Why don’t you give me more assists? I think I already gave it to you’.
“But, of course, he always gave me a lot of assists. So, thanks, Bobby, and, in the next games, I will do anything to be able to give you some.”
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