Michael Owen claims that the rift between Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane is “still there”, following the weekend win over Sheffield United.
Liverpool battled their way to a 2-1 victory at home to the Blades, with Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota getting the goals for the hosts.
It was a rare game in which neither Salah or Mane scored, having accumulated 10 goals between them already this season.
Last August, the pair clashed on the pitch at Burnley, after Mane was furious that his teammate didn’t pass to him when in a good position.
On Saturday, Owen noticed more angry words between them when the same thing happened, with Salah eventually hitting the post.
Speaking to DAZN, via the Mirror, the former Liverpool striker claimed there is still an edge between the pair:
This is brilliant play from Salah. Not only is it a great turn, but then he cuts across his man, of course Sadio Mane is at the back post expecting a little tap-in.
He definitely says something to Salah, as we see here – and then there’s a reaction – so there’s still something there.”
I expect it and it’s probably healthy at that point, at the moment. But if it bubbles over into anything else then it’s not healthy. But I think it’s healthy that both players are really desperate to score.
We’ve seen it before and I don’t think it’s worth getting too carried away at the moment. But you can see it’s still there.
Read Liverpool Verdict
Far too much is made of this apparent rift that exists between Salah and Mane, when in fact they are close friends off the pitch.
Both possess an elite winning mentality and a hunger for scoring goals, which means sometimes tempers may fray in the heat of the moment.
The incident at Burnley was played down at the time and this one should be too – it happens all the time and simply isn’t an issue.
Even if Salah and Mane didn’t like each other, which clearly isn’t the case, the damage they do on the pitch is far more important than their relationship.
