Klopp: Sadio Mane has realised how good he is

The No.10 has struck three goals in Liverpool’s opening two Premier League matches and been influential throughout the wins over West Ham United and Crystal Palace.

Indeed, Mane has netted seven times in his last 10 top-flight outings for the Reds and Klopp believes he has come to convince himself of his own talents.

The manager said: “Sadio did start pretty well last year. He was in fantastic shape then came the City game and an unlucky situation [with the red card]. That was not good.

“I think he had an injury then as well, a little one. Now he's much more secure that this is his level.

“The players surprise themselves sometimes. 'Wow, really? That's how good I am?' We all need to show our best and get used to it.

“Sadio is a very consistent player for us. His work rate is great. We have a very strange 4-5-1 formation with Sadio as a midfielder, Bobby [Firmino] being a midfielder more or less and Mo [Salah] being a striker, even though he plays in a little different position.

“We talk about the defensive work rate they put in and that's really important.

“Pre-season was not the longest [for Mane], three weeks after three weeks of holiday. I think the first game he and Mo played was [Manchester] City, right? That was after three or four days’ training.

“It's quality. We have to make sure we can show that every week. Who scores the goals is not too important but it was very important for us and very nice for Sadio that he could do it.”