He’s rapid, I think defenders will struggle, reveals Sadio Mane about Watford’s Ismaila Sarr

In the end, Ismaila Sarr would end up joining Watford on deadline day for a club-record fee which could eventually rise to around £40 million. The 21-year-old is yet to make his debut for his new side as he continues to adjust and adapt to Javi Gracia’s tactics and the Premier League.

The Senegalese also played in the 2019 AFCON, showing his talent and skill there, after an impressive season with Stade Rennais. Sarr finished last season with 13 goals and 11 assists in all competitions, which saw both Arsenal and Liverpool, take a keen interest although no move ever materialized. However, despite all that, Liverpool star Sadio Mane had a lot to say about his Senegal team-mate.

“I’m really happy for him and he made the right choice to come to Watford. For sure I think he will be great. He’s rapid. I think defenders will struggle. Last time I was speaking to Robbo (Andy Robertson) I said, ‘Watford have a really good player. I will need to help you more otherwise Ismaila Sarr will kill you, because he is a good dribbler and very, very fast,’” said the Liverpool star in an exclusive with the Athletic.

"I feel I need to protect him at the beginning because even though he is a really good player it is not easy in the Premier League, because I had that sort of problem. If there are problems to start off with then people need to take care of him, go easy on him and especially the fans need to support him and give him confidence for a great future,” concluded Mane.