Mane ‘jealous’ that Barcelona lured Coutinho away from Liverpool

Liverpool forward Sadio Mane admits he was jealous when Barcelona lured team-mate Philippe Coutinho to the Nou Camp. The Brazil international left in January 2018 in a deal worth up to £142million after failing to force a move through six months earlier. Liverpool coped well with the disruption created by the playmaker’s transfer request and his subsequent departure but Mane admitted it did leave a hole. “He is a great, great player and I’m a little bit jealous that Barcelona got him,” said the Senegal international. View this post on Instagram 🙏🏽 A post shared by Philippe Coutinho (@phil.coutinho) on Apr 28, 2019 at 5: 56am PDT “I would love to see him again but we we are happy for him. “He really enjoyed playing alongside his team-mates and gave everything, and is still young and can improve a lot. “I know him, he is a hard worker. Hopefully tomorrow he will still be in bed when we play!” Manager Jurgen Klopp is pleased with the way his side moved on from the Coutinho furore with very little fuss and have, arguably, become a better side. “Yes, we miss Phil Coutinho a lot because he is a world-class player and I loved working with him,” said the Reds boss. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and Philippe Coutinho (Peter Byrne/PA) “But we had to deal without him and we did well. When I first heard he wanted to go to Barcelona I couldn’t imagine we would do that good but we did.” Mane was asked by Spanish journalists about a potential move to LaLiga, having been linked with Barca’s arch-rivals Real Madrid in recent months. “Very good question! You guys write it…” was the response. “I respect LaLiga is a good league, they have great players, but the Premier League is also a wonderful league and every single player would want to play there. “So I have a chance to play there and I am very happy, so that’s cool.” Ronaldinho is one of Sadio Mane’s heroes (Martin Rickett/PA) But Spanish football has already left a lasting impression on Mane, and one former Barcelona player in particular. “Ronaldinho was one of my heroes. I really loved watching him play, especially here at Camp Nou,” he said. “I would have loved to play against him. Him not being here now is an advantage for us! I still love him. He is still my hero forever. “I loved his skills, his smile for sure. Maybe when I’m not smiling on the pitch people think I am angry. I would love to have his smile, but we’re not similar like that.” Topics Barcelona, Liverpool, Jürgen Klopp, Philippe Coutinho, Ronaldinho, Sadio Mane, UEFA Champions League, Barcelona, Liverpool Liverpool 7 Spartak Moscow 0: Captain Coutinho leads rampant Reds through as group winners Here’s how Liverpool and Barcelona compare before European battle Klopp considers starting ‘artists’ against Spartak Spartak Moscow 1 Liverpool 1: Klopp’s men held again 5 things we learned from Tottenham’s Champions League semi-final first leg against Ajax Tottenham toil as Ajax gain vital advantage in Champions League semi-final Robins still in play-off hunt after comeback win Differential focus: Why Romelu Lukaku should be turning heads Firmino looks to be winning fitness race ahead of Barcelona showdown Quiz! Can you name every PFA Player and Young Player of the Year winner since 1992/93? Virgil van Dijk exclusive: “I’m not going to lie, I was pretty scared – I could have died” Quiz! Can you identify these 40 European clubs by their unusual nicknames? Quiz! Can you name the last 48 scorers in Champions League semi-finals? Tuesday’s big transfer rumours: Arsenal target ready to leave Premier League rivals