Sadio Mane has addressed the speculation surrounding his relationship with Mohamed Salah at Liverpool, following online abuse that forced him to delete an Instagram post. The controversy erupted after Liverpool's victory over Tottenham, where some fans accused Mane of ignoring better-placed teammates, including Salah.
Statistical analysis by Andrew Beasley reveals that Mane has passed to Salah 16 times this season, while Salah has passed to Mane 20 times. Salah is the third most frequent recipient of Mane's passes, behind Andy Robertson and James Milner. However, in the matches against Leicester and Tottenham, Mane only made one pass to Salah in each game.
Despite the scrutiny, Salah has downplayed any rift, stating in an interview with France Football: 'Generally, all three of us sit in the dressing room together, right after matches. There is a real solidarity between us, as we do not care who scores the most or first.'
The Egyptian Liverpool Supporters Club condemned the abuse directed at Mane, highlighting the negative impact of online harassment on players.
