Moussa Djenepo: I can be better than Liverpool’s Sadio Mane | OneFootball

Southampton forward Moussa Djenepo has claimed that Liverpool’s Sadio Mane is a ‘big inspiration’ for him.

The Malian forward, who joined the Saints last summer from Standard Liege, has lofty ambitions and wants to reach the dizzy heights of success in years to come.

The 21-year-old forward aspires to become the next Sadio Mane as he uses the Liverpool talisman as an inspiration.

Djenepo joined the club for a fee in the region of £14 million ($17m) from Standard Liege last year, and had scored two goals and provided two assists in 18 Premier League games before the season was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The youngster has hailed Mane as a ‘very big player’. Mane spent two seasons at St Mary’s before joining Liverpool in 2016. Since then, the Senegal international has taken his game to a new height under Jurgen Klopp and he is undoubtedly now one of the best attackers in the world.

The Mali international not only wants to emulate what Mane has achieved but also wants to be a better player than the Liverpool star.

“Sadio is a big inspiration for me. I like him, he’s a very big player,” he told talkSPORT.

“But I think I can be better [than him] if I work hard. Sadio is a very big player, and I’m young and I need to learn more.

“In the future we will see. I will do my best to become the next Sadio Mane.”

The Malian forward was also full praise for teammate Danny Ings who welcomed him to the team after penning a four-year contract last summer.

“It was a big motivation for me, that a big player like Danny took time to text you when you are young like I am,” he said.

“It meant everything to me. Danny’s a very, very good guy. He’s given me so much advice in training, we smile together and I’m trying to teach him the French language as well!”

Djenepo is a fantastic young player and it is really good to see that he is so ambitious. At the same time, he admits that he needs to learn more.