Motherwell defender Bevis Mugabi has trolled Saido Mane about still being in his pocket after a strong performance against the Liverpool forward in a recent international clash.
Mugabi, a Uganda international, kept Mane quiet in a recent game against Senegal, and has now spoken about how good an experience it was for him to try to deal with such a quality player.
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The pair were also together at Southampton, and Mugabi admits this has given him the chance to see just how much Mane has improved in recent times.
“I played against Sadio Mane in the last 16 of the African Cup of Nations and that was a good experience,” he told the Daily Record.
“I think he’s still in my pocket! Maybe it will get me a move to Liverpool.
“His sharpness in the game and his decision-making was so much quicker than everyone else’s, and that’s borne out in the amount of goals that he’s scored.
“I think that’s the only difference between being an elite player and an average player, that quick thought process and the sharpness that you can carry it out.
“I was at Southampton with him as well, so I’ve seen his progression from being at Southampton to making that step up to Liverpool, and now he’s probably one of the best players in the world.”
The 27-year-old has been one of Jurgen Klopp’s biggest successes in the transfer market, joining Liverpool for just £34million in 2016 (fee per BBC Sport) and now looking like one of the best attacking players in the world.
In this current market, Mane could quite conceivably cost as much as triple what LFC paid Southampton for him, so fair play to Mugabi for feeling a little pride in keeping him quiet.
We’re not sure it’s actually going to be enough to get him a move to Liverpool though!