Sadio Mane insists that he doesn’t have a problem with his manager despite being dropped for Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Saturday evening.
Mane began the game on the bench as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain got a rare start for the Reds at Anfield.
The Senegal international wasn’t called upon until the 89th minute, shortly after a fortuitous equaliser from Willian sailed into the Liverpool net.
Mane was unsurprisingly unable to affect the result with his limited time on the pitch and he cut a frustrated figure in the moments that followed the final whistle.
The 25-year-old was seen by BT Sport cameras engaged in an animated discussion with Jurgen Klopp but Mane has played down suggestions that he was angry about being benched and insisted that the pair were just discussing some positional confusion.
“He [Klopp] asked me to play on the right side and one time I tried to ask for the ball in the number nine position,” Mane told Sky Sports.
“Mo [Salah] was on my side and the coach was shouting ‘Sadio come onto the right side’.
“After the game I told the coach it was easier if you told Mo to come in because he was close to you.
“But it was friendly, it was not because I was unhappy or something else. There was no problem, I was just communicating and explaining that to him after the game.”
Mane has also rejected suggestions that he missed out on a starting place last weekend due to a lack of fitness.
The forward suffered hamstring injuries on two occasions whilst on international duty this season but he maintains that he has returned to full fitness.
“I’m completely recovered, yes,” he told the Mirror. “I’ve been fine for around a month and that’s why I’ve been in training with the team and playing games.”
