They were never friends - Firmino hints on Mane, Salah's relationship

Roberto Firmino has shed more light on the relationship of his ex-liverpool attacking partners, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah. 

Both Mane and Salah formed a formidable pair at Anfield winning clubs honours and individuals accolades. 

This was much attributed to a congenial relationship both on and off field synergy between the club's arguably two best players of their era from the Africa continent. 

Hardly would many had thought Mane and Salah weren't on good term, except in 2019 where Mane vented his frustration at Salah for not assisting him in a 3-0 win over Burnley.

Roberto Firmino who was the middleman in the trio of club's feared attackers, consisting of both Mane and Salah has now disclosed more about the then much admired attackers. 

He said in his autobiography, Si Senor: My Liverpool Years, that Mane and Salah were "never best friends". Firmino wrote: "I knew those guys very well, maybe better than anyone.

"It was me out there on the field, right in the middle of them. I saw first-hand the looks, the grimaces, the body language, the dissatisfaction when one was mad at the other. I could feel it. I was the link between them in our attacking play and the firefighter in those moments.

"They were never best friends; each kept himself to himself. It was rare to see the two of them talking and I'm not sure if that had to do with the Egypt–Senegal rivalry in African competitions. I truly don't know. But they also never stopped talking, never severed ties. They always acted with the utmost professionalism.

"I never took sides. That's why they love me: I always passed the ball to both; my preference was for the team's victory. Many focus on what I brought to the attacking trio in tactical terms, but perhaps just as important was the human element: my role as peacemaker, unifier."

While Salah continue to spearhead the club's attack, Mane plies his trade with Ronaldo's Al-Nassr FC in Saudi Arabia, with Firmino currently plays for Al-Ahli FC in the same league.