Sadio Mane is no longer Southampton’s number 10.
The Senegal international’s £36m move to Liverpool has been completed and it’s been decided that Mane will wear the number 19 shirt at Anfield.
Sadio Mane's number is, of course, t̶w̶e̶n̶t̶y̶-̶n̶i̶n̶e̶ 1⃣9⃣! pic.twitter.com/G2FvSUUp8z
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) June 28, 2016
The number eight shirt has been vacant since Steven Gerrard left for the LA Galaxy but it would be a big ask to get Mane to attempt to fill those boots.
That’s much less the case with 19, the legacy of which isn’t exactly terrific.
Here are the last nine number 19s, according to LFCHistory.net.
Steven Caulker – Brought in on a short loan deal to deal with the defensive crisis that Jurgen Klopp endured at the turn of the year. The young centre-half made just four appearances for the Reds before being sent back to parent club QPR.
Javier Manquillo – Remember him? The Spaniard signed a two-year loan deal at Anfield on 6 August 2014. He made 19 appearances in the 2014/15 season but the loan deal was terminated and Atletico Madrid decided to send him to Marseille for a season.
Stewart Downing – The left-footed winger was signed from Aston Villa for around £20m and made over 90 appearances for Liverpool. Fans always believed he was out of his depth and he contributed just seven goals in his two seasons on Merseyside before leaving for West Ham.
Ryan Babel – The less said about Ryan Babel the better. Alan Hansen believed Babel had the potential to become “a top, top player”. He became more hassle than he was worth, falling out with manager Rafael Benitez over activity on social media, and he never truly endeared himself to the Reds fans. A return of 22 goals in 146 appearances isn’t exactly great.
Fernando Morientes – A former Real Madrid striker with a more-than-decent record of 91 goals in 242 appearances with the Bernabeu outfit, Morientes flattered to deceive in England, scoring just 12 goals in his two seasons with Liverpool.
Pegguy Arphexad – Six medals with Liverpool? Wahey, he must be good. Oh wait, he won them all as an unused substitute. The former goalkeeper only appeared a handful of times in his three years on Merseyside. Arphexad is perhaps better known for recently having to defend himself against reports that he had become a porn star after retiring from football.
Brad Friedel – The American stopper’s time at Anfield started promisingly in the winter of 1997 but he soon fell out of favour and ended up playing just over 30 games over his three years.
Mark Kennedy – Kennedy also spent three years on Liverpool’s books but the Dubliner made just 21 appearances and you have all probably forgotten he even existed.
Torben Piechnik – Signed after Denmark’s victory at Euro 1992, Piechnik has not gone down as a favourite among Reds fans. Played 24 games with Liverpool before requesting a transfer after just two seasons.
