“Massive miss” – Paul Merson explains why he is worried for Liverpool ahead of next season

Sky Sports pundit and former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson has stated that he is "worried" for Liverpool following Sadio Mane's departure.

Mane opted to switch Anfield for the Allianz Arena earlier this month, completing a move worth around £35 million to Bayern Munich. The deal brought an end to his time with the Reds after six years.

Earlier, Liverpool moved swiftly in the market to acquire Uruguayan striker Darwin Nunez from SL Benfica for an initial £64.2 million. The amount could rise to nearly £85 million with add-ons. Nunez notably scored 34 times in 41 matches across all competitions during the 2021-22 season.

Despite the new addition, Merson believes Jurgen Klopp's side could feel the effects of Mane's absence. When asked how the Senegalese forward's departure will affect the Reds, he replied (as quoted by the Liverpool Echo):

“Massive miss, massive. I worry for Liverpool because they’ve got an unbelievable manager, but people forget Mane was a big game player.”

Merson, who won two English top-flight titles and the FA Cup with Arsenal, continued:

“Big game player who scored big goals in football matches. It wasn’t the third, fourth, fifth in a 5-0 win, it was the winning goal, the goal that took the lead or the equaliser - they’re the goals I look out for.”

He concluded:

“I don’t look for [if] he got a hat-trick but got the fourth, fifth, and sixth in a 7-1 win - for me they’re nothing goals. He got big football goals and this lad Nunez has got to hit the ground running like (Luis) Diaz and this doesn’t happen in the Premier League.”

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Sadio Mane enjoyed a trophy-filled stint at Liverpool

Mane won every trophy available to him during his time with Liverpool. He has been an integral part of the club's recent success and formed a deadly attacking triumvirate with Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino.

The 30-year-old began by winning the UEFA Champions League in the 2018-19 season. He followed it up by lifting the Premier League title, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup the following year.

Klopp's side could not win any silverware during the 2020-21 season despite Mane netting 22 goals in 47 matches across all competitions. However, he completed his trophy haul by adding the FA Cup and EFL Cup to his cabinet in the 2021-22 campaign.

Overall, Mane played 269 times for the Reds, netting 120 goals and laying out 48 assists.