Firmino: "Salah and Mane have never been best friends"

Former Liverpool striker Roberto Firmino in his book "Yes, Sir: My Liverpool Years" told about his former teammates Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

Sadiq Manet and Mohamed Salah, Getty Images

"They were never the best of friends, each kept to themselves. It was rare to see them talking, and I'm not sure if it was because of the rivalry between Egypt and Senegal in African competitions. I really don't know.

I never took sides. I tried to give passes to both of them, for me the team's victory is the most important thing. A lot of people focused on what I brought to the attacking trio tactically, but maybe the human factor was just as important: I managed to bring them together on the pitch. If I hadn't done that, it would have been nothing but a storm between the two of them on the pitch. Maybe that's why Klopp replaced me most often. The three of us had very different personalities and the boss knew that I wouldn't throw a bottle on the ground out of frustration or anything like that. If I was worried about it, I would talk to him in private afterwards. When a substitute was needed, it was easier to take Bobby off than to upset either of the two of them. Everyone, including the other players, knew how it worked. It was the worst-kept secret at Liverpool - naturally, no one ever asked my opinion. That's my nature - the team comes first. The boss knew that," the Brazilian wrote.

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