Sadio Mane has heaped praise on Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp for adjusting training times during Ramadan.
Mane is a Muslim and is currently fasting due to Ramadan, which this year began on April 2 and ends on Sunday (May 1) . During Ramadan, Muslims fast between dawn and dusk so they don’t drink or eat anything during the hours of daylight.
Liverpool have several Muslim players in their squad including Mohamed Salah, Naby Keita and Ibrahima Konate. And Mane revealed that players spoke to senior figures at the club before the Islamic holy month and training now takes place in the morning instead of the afternoon, which helps the players with recovery.
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He told beIN Sports: “It’s tough because playing and training and doing Ramadan is not easy at all. But before Ramadan we tried to speak with the captain [Jordan Henderson] to tell the boss maybe can we change the schedule and train in the morning. It’s easier for us. If you train in the morning then you have time to rest and go home. If you train around two or three, it’s going to be tough.
“The coach said yes and I think that makes it easier and we’re trying to do our best. Game day is something else but with Ramadan it’s tough. But I think Liverpool try to make everything easier for us. We speak with our nutritionist, Mona [Nemmer], and especially before the game day she made everything easier for us to make sure we can do our Ramadan.”
Premier League rules stipulate that captains can request a drinks break after sunset for players to break their fast.
Mane has been in inspired form over recent months. The Senegal star has scored six goals in eight games during April including a deft finish in Wednesday night’s 2-0 Champions League victory over Villarreal. His importance does not go unnoticed by his manager.
After the Villarreal win, Klopp said: “Mane has had an outstanding season and is an outstanding player. He is world class and again played a really good game for us. Sadio wants to contribute, he wants to help the team and that’s what I love most about it.”
