Liverpool slipped up selling Mane to Bayern Munich
FT Desk
- 4 Sept 2022 11:47 BST
- 3 min read
Liverpool have got off to their worst ever start in the Premier League era, and Rio Ferdinand and Peter Crouch are in agreement that the sale of Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich has been key.
The Reds were held to a goalless draw by Everton in the Merseyside derby on Saturday with Darwin Nunez - a €98.3 million summer arrival from Benfica - enduring a frustrating day in front of goal.
Mane has hit the ground running at Bayern, meanwhile, scoring four times in six games in all competitions, which included a Supercup victory over Eintracht Frankfurt.
Mané's at home already with the @FCBayernEN fans! 📢🏠🙌#MD1 | #Bundesliga pic.twitter.com/jBbYcRKkr9
— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) August 5, 2022
Liverpool received €41m for Mane, as significant sum for the 30-year-old, and Jurgen Klopp had nothing but praise for the Senegalese on his departure. But Ferdinand and Crouch think he should have done more to keep the forward.
"So many times Mane has come up trumps in these games where it's tight, backs against the wall and they're missing him," Crouch told BT Sport. "Hindsight's a wonderful thing, [Darwin] Nunez will come good I'm sure."
Darwin's evolution
Nunez, in his defence, has scored twice for Liverpool, helping them beat Manchester City in the Community Shield before finding the target on his Premier League debut against Fulham.
Sent off against Crystal Palace, the Uruguay striker then missed Liverpool's next here games. Ferdinand, like Crouch, was keen to focus on Mane's positives rather than Darwin's negatives.
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"That's a great point," he replied to Crouch. "Those penetrating runs from out to in to support the centre-forward, that's a big threat they aren't getting as much, or the balls not being played or is it they're not running as much? There are a few things to work out but the midfield area is the critical area."
Liverpool bolstered their midfield options on transfer deadline day with the loan acquisition of Arthur Melo from Juventus.
With Thiago, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all injured, his arrival was a minimum requirement, and the Reds remain in the market for Borussia Dortmund youngster Jude Bellingham.
