Abhranil Roy
Sadio Mane has received a lot of attention of late, and for the right reasons. The Senegalese forward has good pace and excellent technique, abilities which have seen him score nearly 20 goals in his 2 seasons in England. Although this season his form has dipped slightly, and he has been a subject of controversy due to attitude problems, as he was send off in a match against Liverpool and was also benched by his manager for arriving late at pre-match meeting. Despite all this, the 25-year-old midfielder has racked up a total of eight assists from midfield, shifting his focus from goalscoring exploits to creativity from out wide.
In this article, we analyse the Southampton man’s likely destinations in the summer, and whether he would be better suited at Liverpool or Manchester United:
Liverpool:
Merseyside Red has only recently been informed that their club passed on the opportunity to sign Mane from Red Bulls Salzburg two years back, as he had not met the club’s statistical criteria, and that has shocked them to say the least. Their worst nightmares came true when Mane scored two to help his club register a 3-2 win over Pool after trailing 2-0. If Klopp does sign him in the summer, Mane will be set up with the likes of Lallana, Coutinho and Firmino, all clever and tricky players. He could not ask for a better support system to be very honest, as Liverpool will employ a high pressing, fast paced counter attacking game which will suit his style. However, if Gotze does come to Anfield and Sturridge gains full fitness, Sadio will struggle to feature regularly in the starting XI.
Manchester United:
United have lacked creativity up front this season and the dearth of goals has yielded them being knocked out of the Champions and Europa League, and now found themselves in the sixth position in the League. Although the Red Devils were heavily linked with Mane in the summer, yet no final move materialised. If Jose Mourinho comes as the new United manager in the summer, Mane will be an invaluable addition to his squad. With Rooney ageing and Mata’s inconsistency, the Senegalese will get an opportunity to flourish unlike in Anfield. Besides, with United’s forward line all young and full of spirit, he will get to lead a dynamic support system around him.
Final opinion: Sadio Mane will be a much better fit at United than at Liverpool.
