"Row Z" – Ex-teammate of Liverpool and Saints icon recalls 'horrendous' first impression
Today at 02:13 PM
Sadio Mane will go down as one of the greatest Liverpool players of the modern era, but there was a time when even his own teammates didn't rate him.
The Senegalese forward formed one part of the Reds' iconic front three alongside Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino.
Mane notched 120 goals and 42 assists in 269 appearances across all competitions between 2016 and 2022, helping Liverpool win Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and EFL Cup titles in a glittering period under Jurgen Klopp.
Of course, Mane's success at Liverpool was made possible by his start to life in England at Southampton, who he joined from RB Salzburg in 2014.
Mane would go on to register 25 goals and 12 assists in 75 appearances across two seasons for the Saints, helping them finish seventh and sixth in the Premier League and qualify for the Europa League.
Shane Long describes 'horrendous' first impression of ex-Liverpool and Saints star Mane
But Mane — who now plays in the Saudi Pro League for Al-Nassr following an unsuccessful spell at Bayern Munich — didn't always look like he was on the path to stardom.
In fact, former Southampton teammate Shane Long described his first impressions of Mane as 'horrendous'.
"When Sadio first came, for the first six months, he was horrendous," Long told the Fozcast.
"Obviously he wasn't horrendous, I take that back. He had these moments where you thought, 'Oh, he's got something.' You used to kick him and you'd hurt yourself. He's got that strength about him. But he's only small, he's quick.
"But he could take on everybody and kick it into row Z trying to cross the ball. He could run it off the pitch, those sorts of things.
"But then (Ronald) Koeman managed to coach him and train him and stuff, and he just hit this run of form and you thought, 'Oh my god, this guy can just go to the very, very top."
Fortunately for Mane, first impressions aren't always right.
Top photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images
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