Why Jurgen Klopp could be without star duo Salah and Mane in the beginning of next season

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been warned he should expect to start next season without Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane. Both players are due to play in the African Cup of Nations for Egypt and Senegal and former Arsenal defender Lauren insists they will need time to recover. “Whatever happens, Liverpool will need to start the season without Salah and Mane, as they will need a good couple of weeks to rest and recuperate,” he told Bwin. “Otherwise their level will drop during the season. “Players will be mentally and physically exhausted and will need a few weeks to recuperate before heading into the new Premier League season. “If they don’t get the rest, there will be a chance that their Premier League campaign will be impacted by a slow start as the players are just too tired to play. “This could be trouble for Liverpool as both Salah and Mane will likely be involved in the latter stages of the African Cup of Nations.” He also praised the pair for inspiring young players in Africa. “Salah and Mane are changing the way the young African footballers think about playing for their African home nation,” he said. “It’s the new generation in Africa, they see Salah’s played for Egypt, Mane’s played for Senegal and Iwobi’s played for Nigeria and know that it’s okay to play for their African team. “African football faces the challenge of people of African heritage growing up in Europe and growing up with European level football and therefore wanting to play to that level. “But I think that players like Salah and Mane are breaking down those barriers, and the likes of [Alex] Iwobi and [Wilfried] Zaha will only help this further by showing young players they can play at an international level with their African team.”

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