Rhys Williams told Henrie Kwushue on UMM’s official YouTube channel that the ‘worst person’ for him to mark in Liverpool training is Sadio Mane.
The towering centre-back shared that the Liverpool speedster likes to leave ‘an elbow in every now and then’.
For Williams, who is still trying to climb the ladder in being a Premier League regular, it must be rewarding and priceless for him to face such quality on a daily basis in training.
But the Liverpool centre-back did share that he has had his lip bust before, including recently when Mane’s shot hit him flush in the face.
“The worst person, for me, to have marking I would say is Sadio,” said Williams.
“He has got a leap and he likes to lean in an elbow every now and then, so you might get a bust lip.
On getting his lip bust: “I had it yesterday but it weren’t an elbow. I went to block a shot and he smashed it right in my face. That’s defending for you.”
It’s a sign of a great team if players find training tougher than what they have to come up against at the weekend.
From being able to play alongside Virgil Van Dijk to marking a Mohamed Salah, it doesn’t get any better for players like Williams.
And whilst he earned more minutes than he would have expected last season, it might not be the case ahead of the new Premier League season.
Van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip are all back in training. That also means it will push Williams further down the pecking order, so perhaps moving out on loan would be a wise move for the Anfield academy product.
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