The Liverpool forward Sadio Mané has pledged to return “better than before” after undergoing knee surgery.

The club’s current leading scorer with 13 goals has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after an operation on Tuesday to repair damaged cartilage.

Mané will now set his sights on being ready for pre-season in the summer. “I will give my very best after yesterday’s successful surgery to be back on the pitch as soon as possible and be even better than before,” the Senegal international told liverpoolfc.com.

“It’s great that I have received so many encouraging messages from fans around the world, particularly on social media.

“It makes me proud and gives me so much power that so many supporters of Liverpool and Senegal give me such great support. I’d like to say thank you to everyone.”