'Wow': Callum Hudson Odoi and Willy Boly say Liverpool once had a player who was so 'difficult' to face

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Liverpool have raced off the blocks under Arne Slot, but their all-conquering team under Jurgen Klopp will be remembered for years to come.

The German spearheaded the Reds to seven major trophies during his spell at Anfield, including the UEFA Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League a year later.

The likes of Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson are still going strong under Slot, but a handful of players from Klopp’s iconic side have moved on.

And Nottingham Forest duo Callum Hudson-Odoi and Willy Boly have raved about a player Liverpool sold in the summer of 2022.

Liverpool legend Sadio Mane earns huge praise from Nottingham Forest duo

Sadio Mane was one of the first big signings of the Jurgen Klopp era, with the Senegalese forward arriving at Anfield from Southampton at the start of the 2016-17 season.

He quickly endeared himself to the home fans and established himself as one of the best Premier League attackers of his generation, forming a fantastic partnership with Salah and the selfless Roberto Firmino.

Hudson-Odoi and Boly were asked to choose between Chelsea’s Didier Drogba and Mane in terms of who made the bigger impact in the Premier League.

And while both players chose the Chelsea icon, they spoke highly of Mane and the impact he had at Liverpool.

Hudson-Odoi said: “Great player, but what Drogba's done for a long time in the Premier League, so I'll go with him. Wow, electric."

Boly then added: “Sadio was very good, but it's difficult because he's our generation.

“Drogba we used to see him on TV, when we were young he was amazing. I played against Sadio and the team they had with Salah and Firmino – it was very difficult."

Mane’s record at Liverpool

Mane’s Liverpool record makes for impressive reading but his last game for the club wasn’t memorable as the Reds were beaten by Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League final.

He moved to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2022 and then secured a transfer to Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, where he currently plies his trade.

A handful of other former Reds like Fabinho, Firmino and Gini Wijnaldum also currently play in the Middle East as they wind out the latter part of their careers away from the limelight of European football.