TOTTENHAM fans have Sadio Mane to thank for pumping Pape Matar Sarr up for the Premier League.
Relentless runner Sarr has emerged as one of Spurs’ most exciting young players over the last 18 months.
The 21-year-old revealed Liverpool legend and Senegal team-mate Mane, 32, convinced him to install a home gym to get in shape for the rough and tumble of English football.
Sarr said: “Sadio has always given me good advice.
“When I signed for Spurs from Metz, he told me to make sure I was ready as it is different to football in France. It’s a lot more physical, a lot more about endurance. He kept telling me to make sure I was prepared.
“He suggested I install a gym at home. I even put a photo of him in my gym because it’s thanks to him that I started enjoying all that hard work.
“It’s thanks to his advice I’ve been able to progress in that respect.”
Mane — now a team-mate of Cristiano Ronaldo’s at Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr — had a similar footballing start to Sarr.
Both were youth players at “Generation Foot” in Senegal’s capital Dakar before moving to French side Metz.
Sarr got a Prem move within a year, joining Spurs in 2021 for £14.6million at just 18 but he was loaned back for a season.
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One-time Tottenham target Mane had to go via Red Bull Salzburg before Southampton came calling and then on to superstardom at Anfield.
The pair won the Africa Cup of Nations together in 2021 — when Mane scored the winning penalty in the shootout final victory over Mo Salah’s Egypt — along with Everton’s Idrissa Gana Gueye.
Sarr comes up against mentor Gueye, 34, today as the Toffees visit Tottenham.
Speaking through a translator, Sarr added: “Idrissa is the greatest Senegalese sportsman of all time for the things he does off the pitch.
“He has a foundation where he helps not just Senegalese children but African children as well. It’s something I have a huge admiration for.
“When I’m with the national team, I’m always spending as much time as I can with him, learning from his experience.
“He’s given me a lot of advice about the Premier League and about making the right choices.
“I appreciate it and want him to give his career the end it deserves.
“In terms of the foundation work, it’s inspired me and a lot of others.
“We know how Africa is, the problems, the difficulties some children have.
“I’ve set up my own foundation two years ago in my own village. In future, like Gana, I’d like to do something that covers all of Africa.”
PAPE MATAR SARR was speaking at a multi-sports camp organised by Tottenham Hotspur Foundation to provide accessible opportunities for local youngsters over the summer.
By Tom Barclay
PAPE MATAR SARR embraces the Star Boy nickname he goes by at Tottenham’s training ground due to his astronomical talent.
But the Senegalese international believes there are loads of kids ready to shine in Ange Postecoglou’s rejuvenated squad.
Sarr is only 21 but has become a senior head in Postecoglou’s midfield on account of the club’s strikingly young signings this summer.
Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall, both 18, arrived from Leeds and Swedish side Djurgarden respectively for a combined total of £38.5million.
Two more teenagers were bought for the wide positions in Wilson Odobert, 19, and Yang Min-Hyeok, 18 — though the South Korean prodigy will not arrive until January.
Then there is 17-year-old whizkid winger Mikey Moore, who many rate the most exciting player to come through Spurs’ academy in a decade.
Add in Destiny Udogie, 21, and two 23-year-olds in Brennan Johnson Micky van de Ven — plus Sarr — and Postecoglou looks to be putting together a team with scary potential.
On his Star Boy moniker, Sarr said: “I take all that positively. It’s a source of pleasure because it’s not easy to be star boy in a group like we’ve got.
“It can’t be for no reason that they call me that and I work every day to make sure I deserve that and that I won’t let them down.
“But to be honest, there are loads of star boys in our team.
“You can see with the group we’ve got this year, we’ve got a lot of really, really great players. I’ll just keep working hard to make sure I merit it.”
Postecoglou, whose side take on Everton at home today, is into his second season as Spurs boss.
That normally means party time if his record at previous clubs is anything to go by — he won titles in his second campaign at all three teams he managed beyond a first season.
Repeating those successes in Australia with Brisbane Roar, in Japan with Yokohama F Marinos and in Scotland at Celtic would be some feat.
That is given the sky-high level of competition in the Premier League and it’s been 63 YEARS and counting since Spurs won the top flight.
Even more so when you consider the relative inexperience the Aussie has in his young squad.
Pundit Alan Hansen famously said “you can’t win anything with kids”. But Sarr buys into another old adage: If you’re good enough, you’re old enough.
Asked if Tottenham can win the title given Postecoglou’s second-season knack, the former Metz midfielder laughed and replied: “The way I see it, there are no 17-year-olds, no 20-year-olds. When I look at football, all footballers are the same.
“It’s not just certain teams that can win, it’s the team that has the talent, who works hard, that has the skill.
“If you have that, regardless of whether you have young players or old players, that’s going to be the team that wins.
“There are a lot of young players at Tottenham and I guess I’m a little bit older than them so I try to help in my own way, I try to impart the experience that I’ve got.”
Sarr has been bowled over by Bergvall since the blond Swede with the movie-star looks pitched up in N17.
Tottenham fought off Barcelona to complete an £8.5m move for Bergvall on deadline day in February, though the teenager did not arrive in North London until July.
The one-cap Sweden international caught the eye in pre-season and then impressed off the bench in Monday’s 1-1 draw at Leicester.
Asked which of Spurs’ new faces has impressed him most, Sarr said: “Lucas. I really love his style. He’s never under pressure when he’s on the ball. Technically, he’s fantastic.
“He’s bound to be one of the world’s top players. He’s got all the assets. With work, he’ll get to the very top.”
Sarr admits Spurs were taught a valuable lesson at the King Power as Jamie Vardy’s leveller made them pay for wasting a number of chances.
But the youngster is confident the team will keep on carving out chances in an attacking system under Postecoglou he prefers compared to that of former boss Antonio Conte.
Sarr added: “In Conte’s system, we weren’t playing so much with the ball in midfield.
“I love the system we play now because it means I get to attack, I get to defend. This is what I want to do.
“We need to be more decisive in front of goal. But I’m sure we can put that right and have a great season.”
