Ex-Liverpool star Sadio Mane snubs Mohamed Salah when picking best finisher he has played alongside

• Senegalese & Egyptian forwards were team-mates
• Helped Reds to major honours
• Separated in the summer of 2022

WHAT HAPPENED? The Senegal international forward left Anfield for the Allianz Arena in 2022, bringing a productive six-year stint on Merseyside to a close. Mane won Premier League and Champions League titles while at Liverpool, with a formidable partnership struck up with fellow attackers Salah and Roberto Firmino. Mane has, however, chosen to snub his more prolific team-mates in England when picking out the best finisher he played alongside.

WHAT THEY SAID: Rather than go for Salah – with reports of tension between the pair never far away during their time together – Mane told 1teamsports on TikTok that Divock Origi is the man best placed to put the ball in the net if an opportunity falls his way. Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp once said of the Belgium international, who became a cult hero at Anfield before leaving for AC Milan last summer: “He is a legend on and off the pitch. Fantastic footballer, a world class striker and is our best finisher.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Origi registered 21 goals for Liverpool through 175 appearances – including a memorable one against Tottenham in the 2019 Champions League final – but has managed just two efforts in 21 games for Milan and has been written off by some in Italy as the worst signing of the season.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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Getty

WHAT NEXT? While Mane is clearly still a fan of Origi, he has also named Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson as the most inspirational leader he has worked with. Elsewhere, he admitted to wanting the pace of Bayern colleague Alphonso Davies and the dribbling ability of Jamal Musiala, while ranking Senegal team-mate Kalidou Koulibaly above Virgil van Dijk when it comes to top defenders.