Although currently injured, Sadio Mane has lit up the English Premier League this campaign. CGTN’s Dan Williams caught up with Mane as he recovers from his knee injury to talk about life at Liverpool, his World Cup dream and the Chinese Super League.

Arriving at Liverpool from Southampton with a pretty decent price tag of 34 million pounds, Mane appeared to take that in his stride.

Reflecting on what he has achieved at the club, Mane said “I am lucky to be at one of the big clubs in Europe. So all the time, I am doing my best and trying to help my team get trophies. My team mates and the people around because they make everything easier for me. So I want to thank all of those people. If we play alongside a great team, great players make you better and better.”

Working under manager Jurgen Klopp, who arrived at Anfield 18 months ago, Mane admits that he appreciates Klopp as a great figure.

“Everyone knows how he is passionate, someone who is special. He loves what he is doing. Great manager. A great person, so he only makes us better and better all the time,” Mane told CGTN.

The 25-year-old is also a key player for the Senegal national team, which competed at the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year.

Mane believes Senegal is returning to the old days of being one of Africa's strongest teams, with new talents springing up. He also hopes Senegal can reach the upcoming World Cup, which takes place in Russia next year.

He said “It will not be easy as we have tough teams in our group, but I think we still have a chance. We have a good team and we are going to fight to get qualification in our hands.”

The interest in football has accelerated in China.

Mane also gave his thoughts on the development of the game in the country, saying “I think it is a great thing because we still want our players and they are picking our players and I think it is good for them and especially for me as I sometimes watch the (Chinese super) league in the morning, especially now, always watching the league. Yeah, they have great teams and great players, so looking forward to bringing some players to our club here.”