SADIO MANE will have his own personal physio when he leaves title-chasing Liverpool for the African Cup of Nations after their Premier League clash with Sunderland on Monday.

Jurgen Klopp is so concerned with getting his £34million summer signing back from the exhausting tournament, hosted this year in Gabon for a month, they have hired the Senegal star his own medical specialist.

Sadio Mane

The forward is going to miss a handful of crucial Premier League games against Manchester United, Swansea, Chelsea and Hull – as well as a couple of domestic cup matches he may have already been rested for.

The first Liverpool game, after the AFCON final on February 5, is the crucial clash with Tottenham that Klopp will want a fully fit squad to choose from, with title hopes and top-four places on the line.

This season, Mane has been an integral part to Liverpool’s scintillating attack, scoring eight goals from 17 top-flight starts and he will be sorely missed at the Kop.