Peter Crouch has drooled over Liverpool forward Sadio Mane, suggesting that he has been “unplayable” this season.
The Reds man has hit 22 goals in all competitions this season, and Crouch has been eager to sing his praises.
Writing in a column for the Daily Mail in which he gave his team of the season, Crouch said: “He goes under the radar but I saw at first hand in March, when Burnley played at Anfield, how good he is.
“Strong and quick, a goalscorer and a creator, there is an argument to say he is Jurgen Klopp’s most important forward.
“He is unplayable at times.”
OPINION
This is high praise indeed from Crouch, and wholly deserved. Mane has been in breathtaking form so far this campaign, but it hasn’t just been the amount of goals he has scored that has impressed. During a spell in which Mo Salah was struggling in front of goal, the Senegalese international really stepped up to the plate and carried his side through a difficult run of fixtures. Would he have been able to do that a couple of years ago even? Maybe not. The fact that he is still getting better at this stage of his career, that he is adding a more ruthless streak in front of goal and finishing chances that otherwise might have passed him by, is an indication of a truly top class player. So many players plateau in their mid-20s, but the very best, the absolute top tier talents in world football, go from strength to strength until the day they retire. Mane is shaping up to be one such talent.