Pundit Danny Higginbotham believes Manchester United need to focus on keeping Sadio Mane quiet when they take on Liverpool in the Premier League this weekend.
The Senegal international has arguably been Liverpool’s most impressive attacking player this season, having raised his game when last year’s stars Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino have slightly gone down a level, albeit having set a very high bar in the first place.
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Mane will undoubtedly be a big threat in the game at Old Trafford, and Higginbotham believes it may be worth Man Utd making him their main man to watch instead of Salah, who tends to get more attention from defenders.
“When you look at the way the front three play, it’s very fluid,” Higginbotham told Sky Sports.
“Personally, I think we’ll see more of a 4-2-3-1 from Liverpool at Old Trafford. That won’t necessarily change Mane’s position and how he goes about it, though.
“He’s got a great understanding with [left-back] Andrew Robertson and we know he loves to drive inside which creates space for the full backs.
“But I think because the attention at times Mohamed Salah gets, because of what he did last season, that actually frees Mane up a bit. Teams eventually are going to have to say we need to treat him the same way because he’s an incredible player.”
This will be a huge game given Liverpool’s realistic shot at the Premier League title this season, which United will be absolutely desperate to halt.
And while the Red Devils started the campaign poorly, they are now in superb form under interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
If the Norwegian is to keep up this fantastic start with MUFC, he’ll certainly need a plan for Mane and co. this weekend.