Monday 5 October 2015 10:40, UK
Sadio Mane should be enjoyed and admired while Southampton still have him, boss Ronald Koeman has warned Saints fans.
The 23-year-old has been in dazzling form this season, scoring four goals in his last three games to vindicate his manager's decision to fend off Manchester United's reported interest during the transfer window.
And on the back of his latest stunning show helping his side conquer champions Chelsea 3-1 at the weekend, Koeman has suggested they will face further battles to keep hold of their Senegal international, who was signed from Red Bull Salzburg in 2012 for £11.8m.
"Maybe one day we will lose Mane but then we have to be prepared," Koeman told the Daily Echo.
"You know in our situation that kind of player, if they play like today, there will come a lot of interest in the end of the season, but now we enjoy watching Mane in our team."
Mane's display against Chelsea was saluted by Koeman, a performance that consigned Chelsea to their fourth defeat in eight Premier League matches, leaving manager Jose Mourinho grim-faced after his heaviest home defeat in the league and insisting that he was not ready to quit.
"Of course to win against teams like Chelsea you need your best players on that high level and Sadio was very dangerous in his movements," Koeman added.
"It was impossible to have a good defending against him. I think the whole team performance was perfect."
Saints midfielder Dusan Tadic agreed with his manager's assessment, saying it showed the team could beat "everyone" in the league.
"It was a really open game and I think we showed in the second half how we can play good football and in the end we deserved to win," he said.
"But also I think just the way how we play was really important, because if we keep playing like this we can beat everyone."
Southampton welcome fifth-placed Leicester City when the Premier League resumes on October 17 after the international break.