Liverpool legend John Aldridge has likened Sadio Mane to former teammate John Barnes.

Aldridge has been impressed with what he has seen from Mane, and thinks he has create an air of excitement around the Merseyside club since 1987.

“He's direct, he goes past players, he's always looking to go forward – and as we've already seen he's got an eye for a spectacular strike," Aldridge wrote in his column for the Liverpool Echo.

"I hate comparing players, but the situation around Mane is very similar to when John Barnes arrived at Anfield in 1987.

"Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying Sadio Mane is the new John Barnes, but he is generating a similar kind of buzz.

"Liverpool fans can't wait to get their first glimpse of him at Anfield, just like in 1987 when John Barnes was signed.

"Just like this season, we had to play our first three matches away from home because of repair work that needed to be done on the Kop.

"Barnesy's performances in those opening three games at Arsenal, Coventry and West Ham whetted the appetite for the home fans who couldn't wait to see him in the flesh."