Liverpool winger Sadio Mane says that the criticism of goalkeeper Loris Karius is not surprising, but he says that it is extremely important that the 23-year-old learns from the criticism.

He also expects a positive reaction from the player, as it is extremely vital in terms of answering the critics. Karius has come under fire in recent weeks for a number of goals conceded by Liverpool. Despite being close to the top of the table, Liverpool have the second worst defensive record in the top half of the league. Karius was brought in to replace Simon Mignolet, who is no longer a first choice player, from Mainz 05.

For much of the campaign so far, Karius has been able to get by without much difficulty is. However, his mistakes have been noticed by pundits more and more in recent weeks. Former Manchester United players Gary Neville and Phil Neville have especially been critical on Karius to the extent that the player has received support from the manager.

Karius has also been involved in a war of words with Gary Neville. Mane has acknowledged that there will always be criticism of a player’s performance, but it is important that the reactions showed in the wake of the criticism is of the highest order.

Mane experts Karius to hit top form sooner rather than later. “Everybody knows this is football and [criticism] can happen. We always train together and know his quality, what he can do to help the team. I think he will keep doing his best for the team, and do his best for the next game and keep helping, so what is behind is behind.I think in football everybody gets this kind of criticism. The reaction is more important now. We’re going to do our best to win the next game,” said Mane after the 2-2 draw with West Ham.