Mohamed Salah has shed light on his fractured relationship with Sadio Mane.
Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah has revealed that tension existed between himself and Sadio Mane during their time together at Liverpool.
Upon Jurgen Klopp's arrival on Merseyside in 2015, the former Borussia Dortmund boss immediately set about a significant restructure of the squad he inherited.
Key to that rebuild were both Mane and Salah, arriving in 2016 and 2017 respectively, and the pair would go on to enjoy glittering success alongside Roberto Firmino as one of the most feared front threes in football.
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However, despite collecting a slew of honours together, reports have consistently suggested that Salah and Mane endured a decidedly frosty relationship.
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What Salah said
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Salah addressed the speculation for the first time in a recent interview, admitting that for all their chemistry on the pitch, their relationship remained strictly professional in the five years they were team-mates.
"Yes, there was tension with Sadio. Mind you, we were professional until the end, I don't think it affected the team. It's human to want more, I understand that, he's a competitor," Salah told the Daily Mail.
"Off the pitch, we weren't very close, but we always respected each other."
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A book published last year claimed that the relationship between the two continually deteriorated during their time playing together, with an apparent feeling from Mane that his team-mate was 'selfish'.
Salah insisted that he is not interested in speculation but did point out that he had consistently served as a provider during his time playing with Mane.
"I don't care. People can think what they want, it's their right,' he continued. But I invite everyone to note that the person who provided Mané with the most assists is me. We can look at the facts, but it's obviously easier to throw out phrases like that; it makes the headlines, I know how it works.
"As long as it remains within the limits of respect, that's fine with me. But that doesn't mean that this opinion is true. At the end of the day, I know what I did, and my conscience is clear."
Mane let's feelings known
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Fans will remember the infamous bust-up between the two Liverpool forwards back in 2019 following their 3-0 victory over Burnley.
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Mane was incensed with his team-mate when Salah failed to square the ball to him when he was unmarked, instead trying to add a fourth goal to Liverpool's tally on his own.
Mane was visibly frustrated when head coach Klopp removed him from play and painted an irate figure on the touch-line.
The Senegalese forward would ultimately join Bayern Munich in a deal worth an initial £27million.
While the Bavarian club claimed the league title in what proved to Mane's only season in the Bundesliga, his time at the Allianz was characterised by an often contentious relationship with both his team-mates and then-Bayern manager Julian Nagelsmann.
These issues would come to a head during a dressing room clash following a Champions League defeat by Manchester City that reportedly saw Mane punch team-mate Leroy Sane.