John Aldridge has written in The Sunday World that Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was right to drop Sadio Mane against Manchester United.
Mane was left out of the Liverpool starting lineup against United at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Thursday evening.
Diogo Jota, signed from Wolverhampton Wanderers last summer, started instead of the Senegal international and actually scored.
Liverpool won the match 4-2 to maintain their chances of finishing in the top four.
Mane came on as a substitute, and the former Southampton star refused to shake hands with Klopp at the end of the game.
Former Liverpool striker Aldridge believes that Mane has not been at his best this season, and that Klopp was right to drop him from the starting lineup.
Aldridge wrote in The Sunday World: “The difference the other night was the three strikers Klopp picked all scored, with his decision to play Diogo Jota in place of Mane proving to be the right one.
“Mane showed how unhappy he was to have been left out when he refused to shake hands with Klopp at the final whistle, but he can have no complaints.
“Sadio has slipped well below his best this season and Klopp had every right to make that call, which was justified as Jota scored a fine goal and looked a threat all night.”
Mane is having one of the worst seasons in his career. The 29-year-old himself admitted that recently.
The forward has scored nine goals and provided five assists in 28 Premier League starts and scored three goals and gave one assists in eight Champions League starts for the Reds this season.
The 29-year-old still remains a world-class forward, and Liverpool fans will hope that he gets back to his best next season.
It has been a terrible season for Liverpool, but there is still a chance that they could finish in the top four.
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