Sadio Mane: Liverpool Team-Mates Were 'Taking the Piss' After Mohamed Salah Spat

Liverpool forward Sadio Mane has said his team-mates were "taking the piss" out of him and Mohamed Salah after their spat earlier in the season at Burnley.

The Reds won the game 3-0 at Turf Moor, although Mane was substituted late on and was noticeably furious. It transpired the Senegal star was not happy with Salah after the Egyptian had declined the chance to pass to him in a possible scoring position during the game.

Speaking about the incident to Canal+ (h/t Tom Coast of Sport Witness), Mane said it's water under the bridge and that his team-mates were quick to rib the pair following their disagreement on the field:

"It was a misunderstanding. I just wanted to help the team. You look at teams like City, they sometimes score five or six. If there's a possibility to kill off the game as quickly as possible all the while trying to score many goals, I think that's important, and so I was a bit frustrated.

"We just talked, and everything was like before. We talked between ourselves, and then the manager called me into his office and we spoke. I told him it was already sorted, and he was pleasantly surprised

" ... Everyone was taking the piss out of us. [Georginio] Wijnaldum, who likes to tease people, waited until everyone was there, came up to me and asked out loud 'Mo Salah, why did Mane want to hit you?' and the whole team started laughing."

Any notion of bad blood between the pair has been quickly forgotten, with Salah posting the following edited clip of the duo on social media:

After arriving at Liverpool in the 2017-18 season, Salah quickly became the team's main man in attack, scoring an incredible 32 goals in 36 Premier League appearances. Last season, Mane raised his game, finishing alongside his team-mate and Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as the joint top scorers in the top flight.

At the moment, it's Mane who is shining brightest in attack for the Reds, showcasing devastating form from the left flank.

He scored his 50th goal for Liverpool in the Premier League during the team's previous outing.

Sky Sports Statto summed up how much more prolific he has become:

There's more to Mane's game than just goals, though. Neil Jones of Goal commented on an outstanding all-round display against Leicester City:

Mane has netted five Premier League goals this season, while Salah has four. Both have been part of a devastating attacking trio that's helped Liverpool preserve a perfect record after eight games; they already have a healthy lead over defending champions Manchester City, who are eight points back.

Any animosity between the Liverpool attackers appears to be gone, and the fact spats like that can be overcome so quickly is a testament to the strong morale in the squad. Both will be hoping to keep spirits high on Sunday when the Reds visit rivals Manchester United in the Premier League.