Sadio Mané’s absence was not of concern in Senegal’s qualifying match against Congo on Sunday night.

After all, they had Ismaila Sarr.

Like Mané, the 23-year-old winger stole the show. He opened the scoring by cutting with the left wing and nesting the ball in the far corner of the net. Then he doubled Senegal’s lead with a simple finish inside the box.

Sarr was fortunate enough to make a hat-trick and was unlucky not to find the back of the net for the third time with the Congolese goalkeeper making heroic saves.

The ease and arrogance with which Sarr stepped in to replace Mané could be a glimpse into Liverpool’s future.

Sarr has been on the club’s radar since his days in Rennes. Liverpool have reportedly been seriously interested in his services in the summer of 2020, and there were provisional links with the winger this summer as well.

Having started his campaign with flying colors, Sarr demonstrates all the characteristics that exemplified Mané’s early years in the Premier League. He’s strong, fast, agile and deadly in front of goal.

In the Premier League, Watford has only scored 11 goals, the fourth lowest in the league, but four of them were scored by Sarr who is the club’s top scorer and he stood out in attack.

For club and country this season, Sarr has scored seven times in 17 games.

The winger’s devastating pace can confuse any of his opponents. But he’s also adept in one-on-one situations in tight spaces. He’s averaged 6.93 dribbles for 90 in the Premier League this season with a 66.3% success rate according to Wyscout.

In contrast, Mané has averaged 4.54 dribbles for 90 with only a 54% success rate this season.

Mané has been impressive in front of goal lately, and the winger has adapted his game to compensate for his slump over the past two years. However, Liverpool will not always be able to count on him.

Soon the club will need fresh blood to rejuvenate the squad and who better for the role than the man who is presented in his homeland as his second coming?

The pair were both educated at Senegal’s famous Génération Foot academy, before moving to Metz in France and eventually ending up in the Premier League.

Sarr will soon reach the peak of his career. Watford is again threatened with relegation from the English elite. And if they were to drop, Sarr won’t want to spend another season in the Second Division.

Perhaps now is the time for the club to pounce and secure him for less than his £ 40million valuation.