"He needs to keep his mouth shut" - Noel Whelan slams Liverpool superstar and asks him to show fans 'more respect'

Liverpool forward Sadio Mane has been advised to be less vocal about his plans to leave the club by former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan.

Mane finished the season with 23 goals in 51 games for the Reds. Despite having another year left on his current contract, the Senegalese forward has expressed his desire to leave the club.

Responding to a survey where 60-70% of Senegalese fans wanted him to leave Anfield, Mane said on June 3 (as reported by African football journalist Mansour Loum):

“I will do what they want.”

Whelan believes such comments will not help Mane's reputation with the Anfield faithful. He told Football Insider's Ewan Kingsbury:

“He needs to keep his mouth shut. He’s just got to leave it to the agents. There’s no need to force the move, the interest is already there.”

Whelan believes Reds supporters deserve more respect than what Mane is currently making of the situation, saying:

“I think a little more respect is due to the Liverpool fans who have supported him all this time as well. Just let nature take its course instead of dangling a carrot to the media. We know you want to move.”

He concluded:

“Just let the right people deal with the details and stop making silly comments. He could leave in a much better way rather than upsetting the Liverpool fans.”

Bayern Munich are reportedly leading the race to sign Mane this summer. However, their initial offer of £25 million has been rejected by the Reds.

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Liverpool reportedly planning to replace Mane with Darwin Nunez

Mane played on the left flank for the majority of his career at Anfield, but shifted to the centre-forward role after the arrival of Luis Diaz in January this year.

The Colombian winger has been in electric form on the left flank for the Reds. Diaz racked up six goals and five assists in 26 games across all competitions for Jurgen Klopp's men during the 2021-22 season. The club also have Diogo Jota, who can be deployed on the left wing.

This means that Liverpool could do with a forward who plays down the center rather than on the flanks.

Reports have now confirmed that the Reds are looking to sign SL Benfica forward Darwin Nunez. CaughtOffside (via Sportskeeda) recently reported that Liverpool are the leading candidates for his signature.

The 22-year-old forward scored 34 goals in 41 games for the Portuguese club last season. Nunez can be deployed on the left wing and down the middle of a front three.