Roberto Firmino played 'firefighter' to tensions between Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane during time at Liverpool

Roberto Firmino has admitted his former Liverpool team-mates Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane were "never the best of friends" - and explained how he often had to cool tensions between the pair.

The attackers formed a lethal triumvirate during their time together at Anfield, as the Reds were crowned European champions in 2018/19 thanks to beating Tottenham 2-0 in the final in Madrid, before lifting their first English title in 30 years 12 months later.

Goals were never a problem, with the trio collectively netting 352 times across all competitions between 2017 and 2022.

However, the rivalry to finish top of the scoring charts meant Salah and Mane didn't always see eye to eye, and their relationship famously boiled over at Burnley in 2019, when the Egyptian left his strike partner raging after refusing a simple pass to take a shot himself, only to scuff wide of the post.

"For many, that disagreement between Sadio and Mo was the first," wrote Firmino in his new book, 'Sí Señor: My Liverpool Years.'

"But I knew it had been brewing since the previous season, 2018-19.

"My instinct and my duty was to defuse the situation between them. Pour water on the fire - never petrol."

Salah is the last man standing of the famous front line at Anfield, after Firmino ended his glittering eight year association with the Reds in the summer when he joined Saudi Pro League side Al Alhi on a free-transfer.

He is now an opponent of Mane, who, after swapping Liverpool for Bayern Munich in 2022, signed for Cristiano Ronaldo's side Al Nassr in August.

But speculation over the relationship between the pair has long continued, with Firmino now lifting the lid on what tensions in the dressing room were really like.

"I knew those guys very well, maybe better than anyone," he continued. "It was me out there on the field, right in the middle of them.

"I saw first-hand the looks, the grimaces, the body language, the dissatisfaction when one was mad at the other. I could feel it.

"I was the link between them in our attacking play and the firefighter in those moments.

"They were never best friends; each kept himself to himself. It was rare to see the two of them talking and I'm not sure if that had to do with the Egypt-Senegal rivalry in African competitions. I truly don't know.

"But they also never stopped talking, never severed ties. They always acted with the utmost professionalism."

Salah will be back in action for Liverpool on Thursday when they face Toulouse live on TNT Sports and discovery+ in the UEFA Europa League.

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