Mane 'jealous' of Barcelona having Coutinho

Barcelona, May 1: Liverpool forward Sadio Mane believes Barcelona should feel lucky to be able to call upon Philippe Coutinho.

Coutinho joined the Blaugrana in a €160million deal last January but has increasingly found himself subjected to criticism from the Camp Nou fanbase.

Mane will be reunited with his old Anfield colleague when the teams meet in Wednesday's keenly anticipated Champions League semi-final and offered a glowing assessment of the Brazil playmaker.

"You'll know more than me how he is because you watch more. He's a great, great player," Mane told a pre-match news conference.

"I'm a little bit jealous for Barcelona to get him, because I would love to see him [every day].

"It's part of football. We are happy for him. He's playing alongside his team-mates and he's giving everything. He's still young and I'm sure he will improve a lot. I know him – he's a hard worker."

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Speculation in Spain suggests Mane could be the next LaLiga-bound Liverpool star, with Real Madrid reportedly admirers of the Senegal attacker's talents.

"I think you guys write [about Madrid]," he said. "I read it with my friends. I respect the league. It's a good league and they have great players.

"But the Premier League is a wonderful league as well and any player would love to play there. I have the chance to play there, so I am very happy. That's cool."