Barcelona legend Xavi thinks that Liverpool star Sadio Mane is nowhere near as good as Luis Suarez and wouldn’t be a good fit for the club.
Liverpool star Sadio Mane had been linked with a move away from the club, but the Catalan outfit have been warned off signing him by one of their best ever players.
Under Jurgen Klopp, the Senegalese international has become one of the best wide forwards in the world, playing in a system that’s highly demanding and for a manager who doesn’t accept anyone not pulling their weight.
With 14 goals and nine assists in just 26 Premier League games this season, Mane has turned into one of the most feared attackers and has backed up his 22 strikes from last campaign with another fine season.
That has led to some interest from the traditional big dogs in Real Madrid and Barcelona, who definitely like what they see.
But Xavi has cautioned them against bringing in Mane.
According to him, the Liverpool forward has some glaring deficiencies in his game that would make him unsuitable for a move to the Catalan giants.
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You can compare Mane to former favourite Luis Suarez, who dazzled Anfield being picked off by Barcelona. He has since gone on to score 191 goals in 270 games and has established himself as part of one of the best strikers in the world.
Mane could be said to have reached those levels, but still isn’t good enough to play for Barcelona – says Xavi.
While the midfielder acknowledges that he’s got the skills to have an impact, he doesn’t think the Senegal international is good enough in the tight spaces that the Catalan’s like to play in.
The Metro reported that he said: “Mane… can kill you in open space. But Barcelona need players who know how to move in small spaces.
“I am thinking about player who would adapt to Barcelona and it’s not easy to find one. Samuel Eto’o was perfect as is Suarez right now.”
But that’ll be music to Liverpool fans’ ears – and with 36 goals in less than two seasons, it can only benefit the club to keep him at Anfield.