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Sadio Mane could be set to have his most productive season for Liverpool yet, having outperformed even Eden Hazard over the course of the past three seasons.

About to embark on his third season at Anfield, the Senegalese winger was the first of the Reds’ “Fab three” to make the move to England when he joined Southampton from Red Bull Salzburg in September 2014.

Joining Jurgen Klopp’s side two years later, the 26-year-old has improved year-on-year during his time on these shores and is set to be rewarded with a brand new long-term contract by FSG.

Although yet to lift any silverware during his time on Merseyside, Mane was one of Liverpool ’s star performers during the second half of last season as they reached the Champions League Final.

And while his contributions may have gone under the radar somewhat when lined up alongside team-mates Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, his efforts over the past three seasons compare favourably to some of the top-flights most-heralded attacking stars and show just how deadly a threat an in-form Mane can be.

Take the aforementioned Hazard for example. Championed by some at the best player in the Premier League, he returns to Chelsea this summer having been one of Belgium’s star performers at the World Cup in Russia.

During his time at Stamford Bridge, the forward has lifted two Premier League titles as well as the Europa League, FA Cup and League Cup.

Featuring 101 times over the past three seasons, the Belgian has a respectable 32 goals to his name, hitting the target with 84 of his 184 shots and averaging a goal every 239 minutes.

Impressive numbers but not as good as Mane. Liverpool’s new number ten has played 93 times over the same period yet boasts both more goals (34) and shots (213), averaging a goal every 208 minutes along the way.

Mane comes out on top too when it comes to creating chances, despite Hazard playing a whopping 4,534 passes over the past three seasons compared to the Liverpool man’s total of 2,946.

Creating 22 big chances against the Belgian’s 15, the Senegal international also comfortably beats Hazard’s tally of 12 assists with 18 of his own to his name.

It’s a similar story when you line up Mane’s showings against the man he arguably replaced at Anfield, Raheem Sterling.

The England international has played more matches over the past three seasons (97), and while he boasts one more assist (19), his number of goals (31), shots (203) and big chances created (20) are all inferior to the current Liverpool man.

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What about Son Heung-min, Tottenham Hotspur’s very own quietly-effective forward who does not receive the same plaudits as some of his attacking team-mates?

Again, Mane comes out on top with the South Korean’s total of goals (30), assists (13) and big chances created (14) all falling short of the Liverpool man’s numbers despite Son playing in 99 games.

But there is one man Mane trails behind over the past three seasons with Manchester United’s Alexis Sanchez in a whole league of his own.

In sensational form when first moving to England with Arsenal, the Chilean has scored an impressive 46 goals from 99 games, has had the most shots (324), created the most assists (20) and big chances (33) and only just misses out on playing the most passes (4,532).

However, Sanchez endured a difficult season last year and is the oldest of the five players listed as he nears his 30th birthday in December.

Having turned 26 earlier this year, Mane is entering the peak of his powers. And with his long-term future looking set to be Anfield, there is no reason to believe why he cannot continue to establish himself as one of the Premier League’s finest attacking talents.

Afterall, he’s already outperforming some of the best players in England. This season he might just step out of the shadows and gain the recognition his performances deserve.