Former Red Bull Salzburg coach Roger Schmidt has insisted that it was clear early on that Liverpool star Sadio Mane had the ability to become a world-class performer.
Mane has made massive improvements since joining Liverpool and is now considered one of the most dangerous attacking players in world football.
The winger made a name for himself at Salzburg after the club picked him up from French outfit FC Metz in 2012 and he spent two years with the Austrian outfit.
Schmidt was in charge of Salzburg at that time and he insisted that while the club helped Mane’s development, the player also played a massive role in changing the style of their football.
The Salzburg coach insisted that it was evident from early on that the winger had all the ability and talent needed to become a top player and he worked as hard as possible to make sure that he made the most of his talent.
“As much as Salzburg made Sadio as a player, he also had a huge hand in making Salzburg as a team”, Schmidt told The Athletic.
“Thanks to him and other new arrivals, such as Kevin Kampl, we were able to change the style and really play the football we wanted to.
“From the first training session, it was immediately clear that he had all the raw ingredients to be a top player.
"He had to get to grips with some aspects of collective tactics but it took him no time at all to come up to speed.
“I’ve rarely seen a player willing to work as hard and selflessly for his team.
"For a coach, he was a dream.”
Mane left Salzburg to move to England with Southampton in 2014 on a deal worth €23m.
