Jurgen Klopp hails ‘really sharp’ Liverpool player ahead of Palace clash

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Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has waxed lyrical about Sadio Mane ahead of Saturday’s return to Premier League action.

The Reds forward is on the brink of two big milestones as Klopp and co prepare to welcome Crystal Palace to Anfield.

Mane is just one goal away from becoming only the 18th player to reach a century for Liverpool.

In addition, the 29-year-old boasts a superb record against Crystal Palace in recent years.

Should Mane score on Saturday, he will become the first player in Premier League history to do so in nine successive matches against the same team.

The Senegal international has scored twice already this season but has missed a number of clear-cut opportunities too.

Mane spurned some good chances against Leeds in last week’s 3-0 win at Elland Road, for example.

And in Wednesday’s 3-2 Champions League win over AC Milan, Mane dropped out of the starting XI, coming off the bench.

Liverpool ace “in a good moment” ahead of Palace clash

But Klopp has no issue whatsoever with his marksman’s form and says he’s looking very sharp right now.

“Sadio looks really good, he looks really sharp,” he told the Liverpool media team.

“I know we talk about these things when a striker misses some chances, but that he has the amount of chances he has, the amount of finishes he has, that’s actually the important stuff.

“Sadio is in a good moment; a really good moment physically and mentally as well, so really confident and you can see that.

“A player misses a chance and doesn’t look desperate or whatever, he has a smile on his face and he knows, ‘I could have done this or this better…’.

“Sadio is an exceptional player so he has to perform exceptional because this is the standard we expect from him and he usually delivers.”