Premier League

TOTTENHAM fans have Sadio Mane to thank for pumping Pape Matar Sarr up for the Premier League.Relentless runner Sarr has emerged as one of Spurs’ most exciting young players over the last 18 months.Pape Matar Sarr has revealed Sadio Mane gave him advice on moving to the Premier LeagueCredit: GettyMane scored 120 goals for LiverpoolCredit: GettyThe 21-year-old revealed Liverpool legend and Senegal team-mate Mane, 32, convinced him to install a home gym to get in shape for the rough and tumble of English football.Sarr said: “Sadio has always given me good advice.“When I signed for Spurs from Metz, he told me to make sure I was ready as it is different to football in France. It’s a lot more physical, a lot more about endurance. He kept telling me to make sure I was prepared.“He suggested I install a gym at home. I even put a photo of him in my gym because it’s thanks to him that I started enjoying all that hard work.READ MORE IN FOOTBALL“It’s thanks to his advice I’ve been able to progress in that respect.”Mane — now a team-mate of Cristiano Ronaldo’s at Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr — had a similar footballing start to Sarr.Both were youth players at “Generation Foot” in Senegal’s capital Dakar before moving to French side Metz.Sarr got a Prem move within a year, joining Spurs in 2021 for £14.6million at just 18 but he was loaned back for a season.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSSarr visited the Tottenham Foundation at Duke’s Aldridge AcademyThe initiative aims to provide accessible opportunities for local youngsters over the summer.One-time Tottenham target Mane had to go via Red Bull Salzburg before Southampton came calling and then on to superstardom at Anfield.The pair won the Africa Cup of Nations together in 2021 — when Mane scored the winning penalty in the shootout final victory over Mo Salah’s Egypt — along with Everton’s Idrissa Gana Gueye.Best ten new Premier League kits for next seasonSarr comes up against mentor Gueye, 34, today as the Toffees visit Tottenham.Speaking through a translator, Sarr added: “Idrissa is the greatest Senegalese sportsman of all time for the things he does off the pitch.“He has a foundation where he helps not just Senegalese children but African children as well. It’s something I have a huge admiration for.“When I’m with the national team, I’m always spending as much time as I can with him, learning from his experience.“He’s given me a lot of advice about the Premier League and about making the right choices.“I appreciate it and want him to give his career the end it deserves.“In terms of the foundation work, it’s inspired me and a lot of others.“We know how Africa is, the problems, the difficulties some children have.READ MORE SUN STORIES“I’ve set up my own foundation two years ago in my own village. In future, like Gana, I’d like to do something that covers all of Africa.” PAPE MATAR SARR was speaking at a multi-sports camp organised by Tottenham Hotspur Foundation to provide accessible opportunities for local youngsters over the summer.Sarr on starboy statusBy Tom BarclayPAPE MATAR SARR embraces the Star Boy nickname he goes by at Tottenham’s training ground due to his astronomical talent.But the Senegalese international believes there are loads of kids ready to shine in Ange Postecoglou’s rejuvenated squad.Sarr is only 21 but has become a senior head in Postecoglou’s midfield on account of the club’s strikingly young signings this summer.Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall, both 18, arrived from Leeds and Swedish side Djurgarden respectively for a combined total of £38.5million.Two more teenagers were bought for the wide positions in Wilson Odobert, 19, and Yang Min-Hyeok, 18 — though the South Korean prodigy will not arrive until January.Then there is 17-year-old whizkid winger Mikey Moore, who many rate the most exciting player to come through Spurs’ academy in a decade.Add in Destiny Udogie, 21, and two 23-year-olds in Brennan Johnson Micky van de Ven — plus Sarr — and Postecoglou looks to be putting together a team with scary potential.On his Star Boy moniker, Sarr said: “I take all that positively. It’s a source of pleasure because it’s not easy to be star boy in a group like we’ve got.“It can’t be for no reason that they call me that and I work every day to make sure I deserve that and that I won’t let them down.“But to be honest, there are loads of star boys in our team.“You can see with the group we’ve got this year, we’ve got a lot of really, really great players. I’ll just keep working hard to make sure I merit it.”Postecoglou, whose side take on Everton at home today, is into his second season as Spurs boss.That normally means party time if his record at previous clubs is anything to go by — he won titles in his second campaign at all three teams he managed beyond a first season.Repeating those successes in Australia with Brisbane Roar, in Japan with Yokohama F Marinos and in Scotland at Celtic would be some feat.That is given the sky-high level of competition in the Premier League and it’s been 63 YEARS and counting since Spurs won the top flight.Even more so when you consider the relative inexperience the Aussie has in his young squad.Pundit Alan Hansen famously said “you can’t win anything with kids”. But Sarr buys into another old adage: If you’re good enough, you’re old enough.Asked if Tottenham can win the title given Postecoglou’s second-season knack, the former Metz midfielder laughed and replied: “The way I see it, there are no 17-year-olds, no 20-year-olds. When I look at football, all footballers are the same.“It’s not just certain teams that can win, it’s the team that has the talent, who works hard, that has the skill.“If you have that, regardless of whether you have young players or old players, that’s going to be the team that wins.“There are a lot of young players at Tottenham and I guess I’m a little bit older than them so I try to help in my own way, I try to impart the experience that I’ve got.”Sarr has been bowled over by Bergvall since the blond Swede with the movie-star looks pitched up in N17.Tottenham fought off Barcelona to complete an £8.5m move for Bergvall on deadline day in February, though the teenager did not arrive in North London until July.The one-cap Sweden international caught the eye in pre-season and then impressed off the bench in Monday’s 1-1 draw at Leicester.Asked which of Spurs’ new faces has impressed him most, Sarr said: “Lucas. I really love his style. He’s never under pressure when he’s on the ball. Technically, he’s fantastic.“He’s bound to be one of the world’s top players. He’s got all the assets. With work, he’ll get to the very top.”Sarr admits Spurs were taught a valuable lesson at the King Power as Jamie Vardy’s leveller made them pay for wasting a number of chances.But the youngster is confident the team will keep on carving out chances in an attacking system under Postecoglou he prefers compared to that of former boss Antonio Conte.Sarr added: “In Conte’s system, we weren’t playing so much with the ball in midfield.“I love the system we play now because it means I get to attack, I get to defend. This is what I want to do.“We need to be more decisive in front of goal. But I’m sure we can put that right and have a great season.” More

ROY KEANE fumed Manchester United “would not have tolerated” one former Liverpool star’s behaviour at Old Trafford.Keane relished his rivalry with the Reds as his side dominated the era under Sir Alex Ferguson. Roy Keane hit out at Xabi Alonso’s anticsCredit: YouTube @TheOverlapSpaniard Alonso wanted a move to Arsenal – but Rafa was playing hard ballCredit: News Group Newspapers LtdAnd the no-nonsense Irishman took a swipe at Xabi Alonso’s antics as he tried to force through an Anfield exit.Speaking on The Overlap, Rafa Benitez revealed Alonso had a deal agreed to join Arsenal in 2008.But with Javier Mascherano, Lucas Leiva and Steven Gerrard all unavailable to face Standard Liege in a crucial Champions League qualifier, Benitez was forced to play the Spanish midfielder against his wishes.And that cup-tied him in Europe’s elite competition and ended up collapsing his Gunners switch.READ MORE ON FOOTBALLAlonso stayed on at Liverpool for the 2008-09 season but then joined Real Madrid in a £30million deal at the end of the campaign – despite going on pre-season to the Far East. He was supported by his team-mates and fans throughout the transfer saga – but Keane was adamant Alonso’s reaction would not have gone down well had he been in the Old Trafford dressing room. Speaking to Jamie Carragher and then Benitez, Keane said: “Jamie you’re a Liverpool lad like Gerrard, sometimes a player wants to leave a club. “But when they refuse to play and don’t want to be cup-tied, I’m surprised senior players don’t turn on another player. Most read in FootballBest new sign-up offersSunSport exclusives”We wouldn’t have tolerated that at United. “I know managers can have a disagreement with the player and the player wants to leave. Roy Keane’s Biggest TV Rants “It is frustrating for managers to deal with a player who is not doing what he is supposed to be doing and everyone is being mates with him.”Benitez added on Alonso: “Xabi Alonso was a nice lad and a good professional. Anything you could say personally about Xabi is right.”Xabi had an agreement with Arsenal and didn’t want to get cup-tied. “I told Jamie Carragher and Gerrard before the game that he had an agreement and doesn’t want to play, but he must because it is the most important game to qualify for the Champions League. “Then when you were going out for the warm-ups, Jamie said, ‘Poor Xabi.’ “No, not poor Xabi, he is playing for our club at this time. During the season he was our best player and didn’t go to Arsenal because he had to play [for us].“We don’t have the same relationship now.”Alonso is, of course, not the only player to not wishing to play in order to trigger a transfer exit – with Norwich’s Jonathan Rowe criticised for doing so last week.But Lyle Taylor – who did the same at Charlton to protect a move to Nottingham Forest in 2020 – defended the player’s selfish stance.He said: “Loyalty in football doesn’t exist.”If the player does well for the team and refuses to sign a new contract, that player is a Judas.READ MORE SUN STORIES”If a player then decides to leave and go and better themselves in their career and their life, then that player’s a Judas.”So I had to make a decision that was best for me because the club had already made a decision that was best for them.” More