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Sadio Mane is now convinced he deserves to be part of football's elite.

And according to Jurgen Klopp that will allow him to take the next step in his Liverpool career, and join Mo Salah in proving he can reach – and sustain - a world class level.

The Reds' manager has never had any doubt about his Senegal forward's quality... but he has spotted a new-found confidence in Mane, which he believes is the missing ingredient in allowing him to fulfil huge potential.

“Now he's much more secure that this is his level. The players surprise themselves sometimes. 'Wow, really? That's how good I am?!'

“We all need to show our best and get used to it.

(Image: Reuters)

“It's quality. We have to make sure we can show that every week. Who scores the goals is not too important, but it was very important for us and very nice for him that he could do it in the last game.”

Mane has seen his odds to finish the season as Premier League top scorer slashed after outstanding displays saw him grab three goals in his first two games of the campaign.

And that has come on the back of a fine performance in the Champions League final, where he got Liverpool's goal and was their best player in the heart-breaking defeat.

(Image: AFP/Getty)

There is a swagger in his play and a confidence he is a key player – which was also seen for Senegal at the World Cup this summer – and Klopp also believes the 26-year-old has embraced a pivotal role in the team that makes him such an important figure for the Reds.

“Sadio's a very consistent player for us. His work-rate is great,” the manager added.

“We have a very strange 4-5-1 formation with Sadio as a midfielder, Bobby [Roberto Firmino] being a midfielder more or less and Mo [Salah] being a striker, even though he plays in a little different position.

“We talk about the defensive work-rate they put in, that's really important.”

(Image: EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Klopp is also confident Mane will sign a new contract with Liverpool, after catapulting himself into the world-class bracket at Anfield after previous stops at Red Bull Salzburg in Austria and Southampton.

The forward is the only one of the club's top players yet to agree a new contract, with talks ongoing, but the manager remains relaxed and happy with the situation, as Mane still has three years remaining on his current one.

With just about every one of their stars signed up on four- or five-year deals, Klopp said: “And a good age group. That's all positive right? (With Sadio) It's not that his contract ends tomorrow.”