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Sadio Mane swept the board at Liverpool's end of season awards last May.

The Senegal international's debut year with the Reds saw him clinch both the Players' Player of the Season as well as the Supporters' Player of the Season.

Mane , a £30million signing from Southampton, deservedly walked away with the silverware. He was the standout performer having contributed 13 goals and five assists in helping Liverpool secure Champions League qualification.

When his season was prematurely ended by a knee injury in early April, Jurgen Klopp had to change the way the Reds played without their biggest attacking weapon. Suddenly, they had to grind out results rather than simply sweep opponents aside.

Fast forward 12 months and Mane won't even be in the conversation when plans are made for this year's awards at Anfield on May 10.

That speaks volumes for how far Liverpool have come as a team over the course of this season.

The other members of the most potent three-pronged attack in world football have helped take the Reds to the next level.

Mohamed Salah has rewritten the record books en route to becoming only the third Liverpool player in history to score 40 goals in a season.

Roberto Firmino , who has 25 goals to his name, has produced the most prolific campaign of his career and has made a mockery of suggestions that he isn't a natural finisher.

But the contribution of Mane shouldn't be overlooked. The former Southampton winger has already exceeded his return from last season with 17 goals and eight assists.

Put into context, the best year Philippe Coutinho ever had for Liverpool saw him score 14 goals and chip in with nine assists in 2016/17.

Mane is a class act who embraced being asked to swing wings by Klopp following the arrival of Salah.

He also showed his character by overcoming the crisis of confidence he endured in the winter.

Mane's chin was on the floor after his costly miss in the Merseyside derby in December and his performances suffered. His touch deserted him and he didn't find the net for a month.

“I saw in Sadio’s eyes that if he could turn the clock backwards he would do it,” Klopp said.

The German coach showcased his man-management ability as he helped restore that belief.

The turning point for Mane came at Turf Moor on New Year's Day when he hammered an unstoppable left-footer beyond Nick Pope. The hat-trick in Porto properly announced that he was back to his brilliant best.

Klopp's decision to keep playing him despite his struggles was vindicated.

“It’s always part of the development,” Klopp reflected at Melwood on Friday.

“We are all like this. If things are going really well we all take it for granted. In the moment when it’s not going really well we have no real clue what we have to change, you try it desperately and complicate things.

“It’s a mix of talking in the right moments and leaving him in the other moments. You don’t have to put the finger constantly in a bad situation and say 'Sadio, that’s not you, you can do it much better’. That doesn’t help.

“As long as you don’t have a solution, the real solution is you have to let it go. He didn’t start a few times. That was not a problem for him. He was not angry or whatever.

“It’s really a credit to him that he came through that. We helped him for sure in a few moments with a few talks but at the end it is always the player himself.

“Because of the quality he has it was always clear that there would be a turnaround. It was not that bad, it was only not his best.

“I think of the game against Burnley, a world class goal in a quite average performance. He is this kind of player. He will always come back even if he has little downs.”

Mane's importance to Liverpool last season was laid bare by how much they missed his injection of pace and quality when he was away at the Africa Cup of Nations.

He's no longer the main man but he's still a vital cog in Klopp's wheel.

There will be no awards for Mane this time around but his value to Liverpool continues to rise.