Paul Merson has suggested to Liverpool could well regret their decision to sell Sadio Mane this summer.
After six years of being one of the Premier League’s most electric wingers, the Reds sold their Senegalese attacker to Bayern Munich for £30 million.
Liverpool haven’t signed a like-for-like replacement but, having brought in Luis Diaz during the January transfer window, the Colombia international will be Mane’s long-term successor on the left-hand side of attack.
However, it’s been a difficult start to the new Premier League campaign for a Reds side that have already dropped four points from both of their fixtures.
And if Manchester City win at Newcastle on Sunday, Jurgen Klopp’s side will be seven points adrift of the reigning champions by the time they face Manchester United on Monday night.
Liverpool are certainly not looking like an outfit who nearly won a quadruple only three months ago.
And Merson, speaking to Sportskeeda, believes that the decision to offload Mane will be prove to be a mistake of a transfer this season.
He said: “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – Sadio Mane is a huge miss for Liverpool. Why sell him for £30 million when you could’ve kept him around for a year and once again fought on all fronts, like they did last Premier League season?”
It’s a valid criticism.
You could argue that Mane wanted to leave Liverpool, which is evidently true.
Having said that, the Anfield outfit had him under contract for another 12 months and although £30 million is an excellent piece of business for a 30-year-old who would’ve gone for free next summer, look at what the Reds have lost by selling him.
Mane, as mentioned, has been one of the Premier League’s best footballers under Klopp, second only to Mohamed Salah in terms of attacking importance at the club.
And asking Diaz or Darwin Nunez, with a combined six months of experience in English football, to replace his goals immediately is unrealistic.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
