Liverpool midfielder Fabinho has revealed that his pleas for Sadio Mane to remain at Anfield fell on deaf ears, with a talismanic presence opting to complete a €41 million (£35m/$43m) transfer to Bayern Munich. That move was made after six memorable years on Merseyside that delivered Champions League and Premier League title triumphs alongside 120 goals.
His absence will be felt in Jurgen Klopp’s ranks, despite the likes of Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez being drafted in to help fill the void, with those that a proven performer has left behind still reeling from a shock career call that they hoped to talk a popular figure out of.
Did Liverpool try to make Sadio Mane stay?
The Reds sanctioned a sale once it became apparent that the 30-year-old forward wanted to move on, but Fabinho admits that he did his best to make Mane stay, telling The Athletic: “At the end of the season, I spoke a lot with Sadio. He told me about the situation that he could leave.
“I was always saying to him, ‘Come on Sadio, stay here. You can win the Premier League and the Champions League right here, don’t leave’. But I think he had already made his mind up. We had to respect that.
“Sadio had a really good story in a Liverpool shirt. He played for six years here and during that time he won everything you can win and he decided that he wanted a new challenge. That’s OK.
“After the parade in Liverpool, everyone said goodbye to him. We knew there was a good chance he would be leaving. I always kept some hope that he would still stay but then it was all confirmed.
“Losing Sadio is a big loss. He was one of our best players but it’s something that we can’t change. We have to deal with it. Now other players have to step up and take on greater responsibility.”
Who will step into Mane’s boots at Liverpool?
While Liverpool have bid farewell to Mane, they have been able to tie Mohamed Salah down on a new contract and Fabinho is delighted to see “a legend” stay put.
Klopp has also drafted in exciting Uruguayan frontman Nunez from Benfica, with the 23-year-old expected to make a positive impact in English football once he is fully adjusted to new surroundings.
Fabinho said of another big-money addition: “Darwin may need a bit of time to adapt, let’s see, but a player like him can really change a team.
“He’s a proper number nine. He’s a goal-scorer. He scored in both games against us in the Champions League. We know how good he is. Even though we lost Sadio, I still believe that we can fight for everything. The team is still really strong.
“For a long time it was always Sadio on the left side. But we have Luis (Diaz) on the left side and we saw how well he played in the second half of last season. Luis will become increasingly important.”