Sadio Mane was angry with Mohamed Salah for not passing to him during Liverpool's 3-0 win against Burnley
Monday 16 September 2019 11:57, UK
Sadio Mane insists his feud with Mohamed Salah is forgotten after his furious outburst aimed at the Egyptian two weeks ago.
Liverpool forward Mane reacted angrily to Salah choosing to shoot rather than pass to him during the 3-0 victory over Burnley on August 31.
Instead of passing to an unmarked Mane, Salah chose to take on the shot himself and was crowded out by Burnley defenders and his shot was blocked.
After being substituted, the Senegalese international threw his training shirt on the floor and gesticulated towards his team-mate, but declared on Canal+ that the pair have buried the hatchet.
He said: "With Salah? It's forgotten.
"Sometimes you have to say things face to face. These are things that happen in football, sometimes it happens that I am not given the pass.
"But we have reconciled and become the good friends we were before."
Mane, who scored twice in the Reds' 3-1 victory over Newcastle on Saturday, is now level with Salah on four league goals - despite playing 80 fewer minutes.
Following the 3-0 win against Burnley just over two weeks ago, Sky Sports pundits Jamie Carragher and Jon Walters said they liked to see some competition between players, but admitted Salah should have passed.
Carragher told Saturday Night Football: "There were even times last season that I was frustrated with Salah in commentary because if he hasn't scored in the first hour, it's like he's looking at the clock thinking 'I've only got half an hour, I have to score'. Really, he should have passed.
"What we should mention is that out of the front three, it is Salah who gets the most assists. Against Burnley, it was his 100th goal involvement in terms of goals and assists since he's come to Liverpool in something like 110 games, which is unbelievable.
"He's virtually creating or assisting a goal every single game he plays, but there are times when he should make that extra pass or show that bit of composure every now and again.
"But Michael Owen was like that, Gary Neville tells me Ruud van Nistelrooy was like that, they would come in and win 3-0 but if they hadn't scored, they wouldn't be happy. Salah will feel like that and it is a good thing because you want him to keep driving and keep scoring goals but now and again, there's nothing wrong with passing to your mates."
Jon Walters added: "It's a good thing that strikers are like that with each other in a way. Liverpool have got a good group so it will be forgotten about straight away, no doubt.
"Mo Salah wanted the goal but it's important to have that competition in your team. You want two or three strikers really pushing each other the whole way during the season, you don't want one who is happy not to get a goal, you want them to want it."
After finishing their season with Liverpool on June 1 in the Champions League, both represented their respective countries in the Africa Cup of Nations, with Mane only returning to training five days before the new season after Senegal reached the final.
With neither Egypt nor Senegal in action over the most recent international break, manager Jurgen Klopp decided not to train to allow the pair a well-deserved rest.
He said: "It was perfect for the boys who did not have to go.
"We could have trained as there were five players here, but then Sadio and Mo would not have got the time off that they needed. They are refreshed, that is how it is, and hopefully we can use that."
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