Latest Liverpool news: Sadio Mane will return to Liverpool after the Community Shield clash

Liverpool have confirmed that Sadio Mane will return after the Community Shield clash against Manchester City.

Senegal reached the final of the Africa Cup of Nations where they lost to Algeria 1-0.

Mane was one of the top scorers in the Premier League last season and needs a well-deserved break before the next campaign starts.

The release adds that the 27-year-old will return before the game against Norwich City on 9 August, and Jurgen Klopp provided an update on the Senegal star (h/t LiverpoolFC.com):

“He is in good shape.

“Obviously they had a celebration in Senegal and I’m happy about that because it showed that they respect the competition and saw the second place as a success, which is nice.”

The manager even spoke about the time Mane had on before facing Norwich or Chelsea:

“He is now on holiday, not the longest one – he will be back on August 5, after the Manchester City game. That means he had two weeks. There is four or five days to prepare for Norwich, 10 days for Chelsea [in the UEFA Super Cup].”

Liverpool need to ensure Mane is fit to play for the first-team

The Reds cannot rush Mane into the first-team once the Senegal star returns.

We have seen players struggle in the past when they have not reached peak fitness going into a campaign.

The Senegal star is one of the best in the world and it would be better for him to miss the Norwich tie too before possibly playing against Chelsea.

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Liverpool should have enough quality to beat the Canaries in the Premier League opener, but the Community Shield clash should be a real test to see where we stand against City.