20 February 2023 , 10:47
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Sadio Mane certainly raised eyebrows when he claimed earlier this week that Mohamed Salah was not the best finisher he played with at Liverpool.
That accolade instead went to Divock Origi: the former Reds striker who notched some of the biggest goals in the club's recent history.
More often than not during his Anfield career, Origi was the understudy to Mane, Salah and Roberto Firmino. But the Belgian international still managed to earn himself cult hero status on Merseyside due to his penchant for making an impact off the bench.
While Mane's claim that Origi was the best finisher at Liverpool may have caught some people by surprise this week, Jurgen Klopp echoed similar sentiments prior to Origi's Anfield exit last year.
Speaking after Origi had scored against Everton during the 2021/22 campaign, Klopp purred: "He [Origi] is a legend on and off the pitch. Fantastic footballer, a world-class striker and is our best finisher. Everyone would say the same. You see this in training. It is a really hard decision to make to leave him out. Everyone loves Divock here."
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Although Origi plundered crucial goals for Liverpool in both the Premier League and the Champions League - including his strike in the 2019 final against Tottenham - the 27-year-old was always likely to move on at the end of his deal in a bid to secure regular football elsewhere.
Italian giants AC Milan pounced to snap up Origi's services in the summer; however, the striker has flattered to deceive so far during his stint with the reigning Serie A champions.
Origi had the ignominy of being named Serie A's worst signing of the season earlier in the campaign and has scored just twice in 21 appearances for Stefano Pioli's side.
Join the debate! Who would you pick as Liverpool's best finisher? Let us know here.
Sadio Mane claimed that Divock Origi, and not Mohamed Salah, was Liverpool's best finisher (Clive Brunskill/Getty)Intriguingly, Liverpool have also failed to live up to expectations this season - although their struggles are more likely linked to Mane's departure rather than the absence of Origi.
The former Southampton man made the switch to Bayern Munich in a £35million deal back in the summer after expressing his desire for a new challenge. Speaking about Mane back in October, Klopp admitted that he was missing his former talisman - but was adamant that Liverpool would adapt to life without him. He told Sky Germany: "A good guy and a top player. But missing it sounds like I still want him [Mane] here.
"I think it's really okay that Sadio just wanted to do something different. Absolutely. I totally respect that. The way it went was great. We knew that he would do something different without breaking up badly. That must be possible in life.
“That's exactly what happened. Missing? Yes! But I'm happy too. That he's where he wanted to be. We'll solve our problems here. Sadio is an outstanding player. Everyone in Munich saw that too. He's absolutely world-class. Everything will be fine."