Mané will require knee surgery
Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that Liverpool winger Sadio Mané requires surgery on his knee and will miss the rest of the season.
Mané picked up the injury during Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Everton in last weekend’s Merseyside derby, and missed the 2-2 draw at home to Bournemouth on Wednesday while the extent of the injury was still unclear.
He has been vital this season for Liverpool’s top 4 hopes, and his value to the team was proven earlier this season when they failed to win a game without him in January while he was on international duty at the African Cup of Nations.
Liverpool next face a trip to Stoke tomorrow, and are missing more than just Mané. Key players such as Jordan Henderson, Adam Lallana, Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho are all doubtful for the match.
The Liverpool boss insists finishing in the top four remains the objective but admits two of the Premier League’s so-called bigger teams are destined to miss out.
“Two of the top six won’t be in the Champions League next season,” he says.
“We want to qualify for the Champions League. If we don’t then it didn’t work out, then we think about reasons.
“We don’t play any of our rivals any more so we can’t influence them. We just have to get as many points as we can.”
By Ben Kelly – @benkelly_10
