Gary Neville reacts to Sadio Mane coming off for Liverpool in Carabao Cup final

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Gary Neville has told Sky Sports (broadcast on 27/2; 18:07) that he was surprised to see Jurgen Klopp take Sadio Mane off during the latter stages of the Carabao Cup final, while he noted that the Liverpool star did not look happy coming off.

Liverpool won the trophy after a dramatic game at Wembley. The Reds clinched the silverware on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Klopp wanted to bring Diogo Jota on ahead of the final 10 minutes of normal time with the game goalless. And with that, a ruthless decision was made.

Klopp had Mo Salah, Luis Diaz and Mane to pick from to make a like-for-like change. And ultimately, he opted for Mane to come off.

The Senegal international looked frustrated as he made his way towards the Wembley bench. He went on to vent that disappointment slightly when handed his jacket before he took a seat.

When it became clear that Mane was the Liverpool player coming off, Neville suggested that that decision from Klopp had caught him off-guard somewhat.

“A little bit,” he told Sky Sports, when asked whether he was surprised by Mane being substituted.

“I thought he’d take Diaz off, purely because I thought he’d leave Mane and Salah on the pitch, not that Diaz deserves to go off. He’s been fantastic. But he has made that decision.

“He’s not very happy Mane. He’s just, shall we say, snatched his jacket.”

Klopp decision highlights battle Mane may now face at Liverpool with Luis Diaz joining Reds

In fairness, Diaz did not spend too much longer on the pitch. He was taken off during the first-half of extra-time for Divock Origi.

Mane may well feel hard done by. Like Salah, he has spent so long as a vital cog for Liverpool. And he went into Sunday having scored three in his previous two in the Premier League.

But Liverpool’s attacking options moved to another level in January with Diaz joining the club. Klopp now has an even greater number of world-class options. And on the day, Diaz perhaps looked more likely to make something happen.

There are likely to be a couple of attacking players who are not happy with their minutes in the months ahead. Diaz is doing his best to push himself right up the pecking order.

The challenge for Mane now is to perhaps ensure that he remains just as important for Liverpool as he has been for several years.