Sadio Mane has revealed he urged Roberto Firmino to play with one eye against Paris Saint-Germain just 24 hours before kick-off.
Firmino, who scored a stoppage-time winner in Tuesday’s 3-2 Champions League victory, suffered an abrasion to the cornea in his left eye after a clash with Jan Vertonghen during Saturday’s win over Tottenham.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was doubtful Firmino would be ready ahead of that game, but Mane had other ideas and proceeded to pester his team-mate.
“I think Bobby doesn’t need his eye to play so I told him,” said the Senegal international after the thrilling 3-2 win over PSG.
“I sent him a message on Monday saying, ‘Hey Bobby, come on, we need you’.
“You’ve all seen the ‘no look’ goals so I think he doesn’t need his eye to play. I texted him saying, ‘You don’t need your eye’.”
Whether it was a result of Mane’s refusal to leave him alone or not, we will never know, but Firmino told Klopp he was fit to play on the morning of the match and was brought on with 20 minutes remaining to score the winner.
Liverpool players react to Tuesday’s dramatic win over PSG
The victory ensured Liverpool continued their 100 per cent start to the season.
“It’s a great start. It is too early to speak about anything, but it is very important for us to focus more because we are Liverpool, we are a stronger team, and we will try to do our best every game,” added Mane.
“I think it’s a big result (against PSG) honestly. It is very important for us to keep going on our good run.
“It was not an easy game because PSG are one of the best teams in the world, but we played very well and deserved to win.”
