Jordan Henderson heaped praise on teammate Sadio Mane ahead of Liverpool's decisive Champions League clash with RB Salzburg on Tuesday evening. 

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Sadio Mane: Liverpool's main man

The winger will face off against his former club, where he spent two years before moving to the Premier League with Southampton in 2014.

In the years since, Mane has gone from strength to strength, with an increase in his attacking output and presence within one of Europe's most potent front line's elevating his game to new heights. Indeed, he has scored 72 goals in 144 appearances for Jurgen Klopp's side, emerging as arguably the club's most important player within the current title challenge. 

His importance extends far beyond his direct goal contribution too, with incisive movement and awareness creating chances aplenty for those around him. Liverpool's emphatic Merseyside derby win against Everton can attest to that as Mane pioneered a ruthless attacking performance as both Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino were named on the  bench. Utilising his pace to set up counter-attacking moves, the  27-year-old registered a goal alongside two assists, both of which were down to brilliant accuracy and weight of pass, underlining the growing scope to his game.

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Henderson heaps praise on Mane ahead of Salzburg return

Now fully immersed within the world-class bracket, it's of little surprise that club captain Henderson was quick to laud praise on the Senegal international.

Asked what it is like to play alongside Mane, Henderson said: "Amazing. It's not only Sadio, we have so much talent in the squad."

"But Sadio has been outstanding for a long period of time now. He just needs to continue in that form."

The 27-year-old finished fourth in the recent Ballon d'Or rankings, behind only Cristiano Ronaldo, teammate Virgil van Dijk and six-time  winner, Lionel Messi - a reflection of the persistent quality he has produced for both club and country over the past year. 

"He is a fantastic person off the pitch, works really hard and dedicates his life to football. It's great to see him doing as well as he can." 

“We just want him to keep doing what he's been doing for a long period of time now.”

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