I've got quite excited about Sadio Mane. When we signed him there was very little known about him, save for a bit of stuff that the EA Games fanatics had, the words from development coaches, and some incredible footage from Youtube for RB Saltzburg. Then again, Steve De Ridder had some pretty incredible footage on Youtube too, so there had to be a measure of caution.
But right from his first touches, in his first game, there was something about him. It maybe wasn't anything that special back then, but he was finding his feet in the PL. In the last few months the thing about him has become special. He's now beginning to play like the footage on Youtube. His pace, and change of pace, is absolutely electric. For pete's sake is he quick..! He's strong too. His size belies his strength. He occasionally looks like he could be blown away by a good breeze, but then he beats a couple of players easily and visibly grows with a renewed confidence. And those feet he's finally found are very skilful indeed. And he does it all for 90 minutes too, which I actually find quite breathtaking, not forgetting that he doesn't neglect his defensive duties either.
Last weekend, Villa doubled up on him when they could. It barely mattered. He either beat both players or found space with his awareness and pace. He was eager to have the ball and when he got it he scored 3 goals in less than 3 minutes, and had a hand in 2 of the others. He frightened Villa silly. Next season I think he could be phenomenal.