Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has said that Sadio Mane is capable of playing in a "slightly deeper position" for the Reds.

Mane has scored seven times in 16 appearances for Liverpool this season, with the 26-year-old operating on the left of a front three that also includes Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino.

Klopp has lavished praise on the Senegal international, branding him a "world-class player" and paying tribute to his improvement since arriving at Anfield.

"Since he came in he helped the team so much, he improved so much. He is an outstanding offensive player," Klopp told Premier League Productions.

"If you ask me if he is a striker, yes, from time to time; is he a midfielder, yes, from time to time; he can probably play a slightly deeper position as well. We don't have to play him there because we have other players there but he could play it as well.

"He is physically strong, technically strong, he is unbelievably quick, he is quick in mind as well, and he is a good shooter with both feet. That makes a good player and he is a fantastic person. He needed more confidence when he came in, the start was really good but I think he was a bit surprised by himself.

"Everything was good until the first time his shape dropped a little bit and then he struggled a bit with that, because he needed to get used to that he is a world-class player. Now, he knows that much better. That helps us. He is a really good player."

Mane has scored 40 times in 89 appearances for Liverpool since a 2016 arrival from Southampton.

Written by
Matt Law