18 March 2023 , 12:37
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Andy Robertson has dismissed claims Liverpool are missing Sadio Mane - and insists the Reds have "fantastic players" to step up and play in his position.
The 30-year-old made the big-money move to Bayern Munich last summer after a successful six-year stint at Anfield. Mane won every major honour during his time on Merseyside, scoring 120 goals in 269 matches.
He also formed a dynamic partnership with Robertson on the left-hand side which was once described as the 'best in the world' by Mane back in 2020. However, since the Reds lost Mane in the summer, their form has dropped off dramatically.
This time last year, Liverpool were pushing for the Premier League title, had already won the Carabao Cup and were battling to win the FA Cup and Champions League, too. Fast forward 12 months and the Reds are out of every cup competition and sit sixth in the table.
When quizzed about whether Mane's loss has been key, Robertson told BBC Radio 5 Live: "To be honest, no. Don't get me wrong, I had a fantastic relationship with Sadio in terms of me and him down the left-hand side for five years. He was a joy to play with, every game.
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"I loved playing with him, we linked really well. He helped me going the back the way I helped him going forward. And yeah we linked up really well. When he left, there was probably no-one more gutted than me because of the relationship we had.
Andy Robertson and Sadio Mane shared a good relationship (Getty Images)Do Liverpool miss Sadio Mane? Let us know in the comments below!
"But we've got fantastic players that can play in their positions. We brought in Darwin [Nunez], who has been really good to start. We've got Luis Diaz who has obviously been injured and re-injured and things like that, which is difficult. Jots [Diogo Jota] can play there, who's got injured.
"We have been a little bit unlucky with injuries, I think once we get them back fully fit then yeah. Look, Sadio was a wonderful player, a Liverpool legend but he wanted to go and he went to Bayern Munich and we wish him all the best. We need to pick up the pieces and I think we've got the players to do that."
Liverpool crashed out of the Champions League on Wednesday with a 6-2 aggregate defeat against Real Madrid to end their hopes of winning a trophy this season. The Reds are 24 points behind leaders Arsenal with 12 matches to go, although they have got a game in-hand on the Gunners.