Klopp will speak with Mane after Old Trafford snub

Jurgen Klopp says he will speak with Saido Mane after the Senegalese forward snubbed him at OId Trafford

 

Jurgen Klopp has said he's not worried about Sadio Mane's snub after the player refused to shake the manager at full time against Manchester United. (Photo credit: Premierleague.com)

Sadio Mane appeared to have snubbed his manager Jurgen Klopp as the team celebrate their rare Old Trafford win on Thursday but the German tactician has said there’s nothing more to it than an emotional reaction from the Senegalese.

Klopp picked Diogo Jota over Sadio Mane for the all important rescheduled game and the Portuguese repaid the favor in full with the opener at Old Trafford in the six goal thriller, helping Liverpool to a slim chance of finishing in the top four.

Cameras showed Mane obviously ignoring his manager’s handshake after full time, believed to be in protest to his earlier snub to start the game but Klopp said he will speak with the former Southampton player afterwards but there will be no further consequences.

"You cannot make a bigger story of it than it is," Klopp told a news conference on Friday. "Football is an emotional game and everybody expects us to control our emotions, always.

"But it doesn't always work out like that. It happened to me as a player, happened to other players when I was their coach.

"We have had, so far, no real chance to talk about it, but we will and there will be nothing left from it and everything will be fine.

"Do we want these things to happen? No. But it's not the first time in my life and I'm afraid to say it, it probably won't be the last time. So that's it."

Liverpool can leapfrog Chelsea when they face Westbrob this weekend with the champions league finalists away on cup final duties; Klopp said there’s a lot of respect between him and Mane, hence it’s a negligible incident.

"If somebody shows me respect five million times, and one time not, what is more important?" Klopp added.

"The world is in a situation where you then make this one time bigger than necessary. That's unfortunately the case.

"I am completely relaxed about it. If you had seen me as a player, what I did out of emotion, it was insane. And I am a completely normal guy.

"It happened to me, but there is nothing else -- we will talk about it, it will be sorted and that's all."