Key Liverpool star tried to stop Sadio Mane leaving - Says his absence will be a "big loss".

Fabinho has revealed that he tried to stop Sadio Mane from leaving for Bayern Munich this summer.

The Liverpool midfielder claimed he did try to convince the Senegalese forward to remain on Merseyside before he agreed to a £35M move to the German champions.

He claimed losing the forward is a 'big loss' and fans will hope new signing Darwin Nunez can fill the void.

The Reds also signed Fulham's Fabio Carvalho to help replace Mane but there's no doubting the impact that Mane had on Anfield during his time at the club.

Speaking to the Athletic, the Brazilian admitted he did try repeatedly to convince Mane to stay at the club.

“At the end of the season, I spoke a lot with Sadio. He told me about the situation that he could leave,” he says.

“I was always saying to him, ‘Come on Sadio, stay here. You can win the Premier League and the Champions League right here, don’t leave’. But I think he had already made his mind up. We had to respect that.

“Sadio had a really good story in a Liverpool shirt. He played for six years here and during that time he won everything you can win and he decided that he wanted a new challenge. That’s Ok."

With 120 goals and 48 assists in 269 games, Mane became a fan favourite early on in his Liverpool career.

“After the parade in Liverpool, everyone said goodbye to him. We knew there was a good chance he would be leaving. I always kept some hope that he would still stay but then it was all confirmed.

“Losing Sadio is a big loss. He was one of our best players but it’s something that we can’t change. We have to deal with it. Now other players have to step up and take on greater responsibility.”

Nunez to Step Up?

Liverpool responded by signing the former Benfica forward Nunez for a club record fee of around £85M.

Fabinho has backed the Uruguayan - who notched 34 goals in all competitions last season - to step up and help thrust Liverpool forward.

“Darwin may need a bit of time to adapt, let’s see, but a player like him can really change a team,” Fabinho adds.

“He’s a proper number nine. He’s a goal-scorer. He scored in both games against us in the Champions League. We know how good he is. Even though we lost Sadio, I still believe that we can fight for everything. The team is still really strong."