Sadio Mane insists he was joking about Liverpool future comments

'Liverpool is a club I respect a lot. The fans adopted me since day one.'

Forget what you might have heard. The people of Senegal will not be having any meaningful say in where Sadio Mane plays his football next season after all. The Liverpool forward appears likely to be leaving Anfield this summer after being very strongly linked with a move to Bayern Munich. But Mane has insisted comments he made at a recent press conference were meant only as a joke and that he didn't mean to disrespect Liverpool's supporters.

Mane said people of Senegal would influence his future plans

Mane reported for international duty following Liverpool's Champions League final defeat at the hands of Real Madrid just over a week ago, which many believe was his last game for the club. Despite promising to make an announcement on his future after the game in Paris, Mane has so far remained tight-lipped. Speaking to reporters before the his country's African Cup of Nations qualifier against Benin, he said that the decision rested with the people of Senegal. "I respect the fans and team but 60 to 70 per cent of Senegalese want me to leave Liverpool? I'll do what they want," he said. "We will see soon! Don't be in a hurry because we'll see this together."

*Richard Keys voice* - It was just banter

The comments caused quite a stir as they spread across social media, but Mane has now claimed they were only intended as a joke. "I spoke yesterday while joking with a bit of humour and it was everywhere," he is quoted as saying by journalist Cissokho Sahel (via the Daily Mail)

"I think we'll stop there. Liverpool is a club I respect a lot. The fans adopted me since day one. Regarding the future, we'll see."

Mane is set to enter the final year of his contract at Liverpool. Mo Salah is also in a similar position, prompting the club to draw up a shortlist of potential replacements. Related links:

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• Liverpool players trolled with Snapchat filter after Champions League final loss