Kyle Walker says player who Liverpool sold for £35m was a ‘nightmare’ to play against

Liverpool have had plenty of intense battles with many clubs over the years, most notably against city rivals Everton.

There has also been a longstanding rivalry with Manchester United, but their city rivals Manchester City have recently joined the discussion.

The latter have come on leaps and bounds under Pep Guardiola, with the Spaniard bringing several trophies to the Etihad.

Much of their domestic success has often involved overcoming the Reds, with Liverpool and City having gone neck and neck for several seasons now in various competitions.

There have been plenty of individual battles on the pitch throughout the rivalry, one of which involved Kyle Walker and Sadio Mane.

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Kyle Walker full of praise for former Liverpool winger Sadio Mane

And the former, currently still at Man City, has now revealed that the latter is among the best players he has ever played against.

Mane currently plies his trade at Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr, having been sold by Liverpool to Bayern Munich for £35million in 2022.

Also naming PSG ace Neymar as the best players he has played against, Walker told The Icebreaker: “Sadio Mane was a nightmare for me.

“He was more raw, he had certain movements he would do, I think he was playing in a very good Liverpool team, with Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, who was dropping deep.

“He was good. Even at Southampton.

Do Liverpool still miss Sadio Mane?

Mane was simply unstoppable at times during his time at Anfield, with the Senegalese winger forming a stunning trio alongside Salah and Firmino.

Only Salah remains on Merseyside from the three attackers, with Firmino also in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ahli.

The Reds now have the likes of Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez as options on the left side of their attack, but many of the Anfield faithful perhaps still miss the power and speed of Mane.

The former Southampton man made 269 appearances for Liverpool, registering tallies of 120 goals and 42 assists.

Mane was a fan favourite at Anfield, having played a key role under Jurgen Klopp for several years, during which he lifted the Premier League and Champions League.