Jurgen Klopp expects Liverpool to benefit from Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane’s run to the Africa Cup of Nations final when they return to the Premier League title race.
Salah and Senegal winger Mane clashed in Sunday’s final in Cameroon just hours after Liverpool hosted Cardiff in the FA Cup fourth round.
Salah and Mane have made pivotal contributions in helping their countries get to the final.
Salah netted twice, with one assist, ahead of the final yesterday.
Rather than draining them for the rest of a season in which Liverpool is still in contention for all four major trophies, Reds boss Klopp believes the leadership and passion they have shown in Cameroon will rub off on his squad.
“I watched a lot of games – and it was really obvious Naby (Keita) was the absolute leader in the Guinea team, the same for Sadio in the Senegal team, and of course, Mo with Egypt,” Klopp said.
When the coach was not there anymore (in Thursday’s semi-final) because he got a red card, before the penalty shoot-out, you saw Mo talking, speaking, and doing all kinds of things with the whole group.
Of course, all the experience these boys get in these situations helps us. Short-term, I’m not sure, long-term, definitely.
“It’s difficult, obviously, to get that far in a tournament. The pressure – they are the superstars, so the pressure they had on their shoulders was massive.”
I’m really proud of the way they dealt with it. Now two of them are in the final and we will watch it definitely. ”