Mane: I am not a kind of player who will always dive to steal something

Sadio Mane has dismissed suggestions Liverpool's front line could be heading for burnout as he addressed fresh claims he is a diver.

Liverpool were held to a 1-1 draw in the Champions League by Napoli on Wednesday when the officials again prompting controversy with a number of calls.

Among them was a penalty claim turned away when Mane went to ground under a challenge from Giovanni Di Lorenzo.

The Senegalese has come under scrutiny - not least from Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola - after winning a succession of spot kicks this season.

“Yes, I think it was a penalty," said Mane, who then joked: "I was not diving like usual eh?!

“Like I always said, I am not a kind of player who will always dive to steal something from the game. I could be lucky sometimes and get a penalty, but he didn't give it for me, and it wasn't a dive."

Wednesday's result means Liverpool must avoid defeat in their final Champions League group game in Salzburg in a fortnight to qualify.

“We have a big squad, we have many players who can play and so much quality," said Mane.

"It's part of football - we have to deal with it, play these games if we want to be successful. Without the games you cannot win the trophies.

“We have to be focused on it as hard as we can and try to recover as well as possible from each game. Yeah, it will be tough, we know - we know Salzburg will be a tough game but we are ready."