Why Mane is Klopp’s man

Sadio Mane has settled quickly at Liverpool but that should be no surprise. Jurgen Klopp is a long-time admirer of a player well familiar with his style of play. Ahead of Monday’s Merseyside derby, Adam Bate looks at why Mane’s journey prepared him for this moment…

On Monday night Jurgen Klopp will get the Goodison Park experience for the first time as a coach. But in Sadio Mane, at least the Liverpool boss has a man who scored a late equaliser for Southampton in his only previous start there. It’s not the only reason why Klopp will be counting on his summer signing. Mane has given this Liverpool side something extra.

Adam Lallana took centre stage in Wednesday’s win at Middlesbrough. Jordan Henderson provides control in midfield. But it’s the blend that matters to Klopp and so while some supporters might have craved a more exotic acquisition than yet another arrival from Southampton, the manager identified in Mane the qualities that could make others better.

“It’s not about having the best,” said Klopp earlier this season, “it’s about doing the best.” And Mane’s pace and enthusiasm is helping Liverpool to press the Klopp way. That’s no coincidence. The 24-year-old is the perfect fit for this Reds side because he’s already steeped in the German’s way of playing. Born in Africa. Built in Austria.

Mane was a homesick teenager at Metz before making a good impression in France’s second tier. “I’m fast, I’m explosive and I think I’m a bit of a dribbler,” he said at the time. The talent was there but so much more has been added since and that owes much to Mane’s two seasons playing under Roger Schmidt at Red Bull Salzburg.

Schmidt cites Klopp as an “inspiration” because of his high-tempo approach. “What Klopp showed at Dortmund,” he told the Times earlier this year, “is that, by being aggressive off the ball, it was possible to beat Bayern Munich over a whole season. That is only possible with this …

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