"I was sad to see him go" - Danny Murphy on Sadio Mane's departure

Former Liverpool player Danny Murphy has admitted that he was "sad" to see Sadio Mane depart the club this summer.

The winger joined Bayern Munich for a transfer fee of £28.80 million last month.

Mane was absolutely sensational for the Reds, especially last season. The Senegal international found the back of the net 23 times and registered five assists in 51 appearances.

Mane also averaged a WhoScored player rating of 7.32 across the 2021-22 campaign.

Therefore, we are not remotely surprised to hear that Murphy is "sad" the forward is no longer a Liverpool player.

“I was sad to see him go, because I was one of his biggest fans, I absolutely adore him,” he told the Mirror.

“I think he has been a wonderful player for Liverpool. He’s got that wonderful balance of tremendous footballing ability with a work-ethic that is just relentless.

“I think everybody loves that in a player, even if he is not quite at it in terms of his end product, he just doesn’t stop. He’s been a huge, huge player for Liverpool (won six trophies in 269 appearances). Nearly every fan I have spoken to or heard on a radio show is wishing him well and thanking him for what he has done, which tells you everything. In an ideal, you would keep all of your good players until the end, but football’s not like that."

Anfield Watch Verdict

Mane showed last season that he is a world-class footballer. So, we are gutted that the 30-year-old is no longer a Red.

But, players can't represent a club forever. Besides, Liverpool should be able to cope without Mane.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp is not short of attackers (Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez).

Liverpool's first game of the 2022-23 Premier League campaign is against Fulham at Craven Cottage on the 6th of August.