(CNN) While Jurgen Klopp bids to lead Liverpool to its first English Premier League title since 1990, his top scorer is over 5,000 miles away.
Senegal forward Sadio Mané is one of 368 players in Gabon for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, 23 of them from the EPL. Having cost Liverpool £35 million ($43 million) when he signed last June, he is the most expensive footballer on show at the tournament.
And, unfortunately for Klopp, the 24-year-old could be absent for as many as eight games -- including both legs of the League Cup semifinal tie against his former club Southampton, as well as vital clashes against rivals Chelsea and Manchester United -- if his country reaches the February 5 final.
Liverpool's win ratio with Mané in the team is 70%, and just 50% without him.
With nine goals and four assists in 19 appearances, he's directly contributed to more league goals than the likes of Chelsea's Eden Hazard, Manchester City's Sergio Aguero and last season's golden boot winner Harry Kane of Tottenham.
Klopp has addressed the problem saying, "We can do things, change systems" -- but what do the stats say about Liverpool's performances with and without the most expensive African footballer of all time?
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With Mané
Eighth in the table last season after Klopp took charge in October 2015 -- below the likes of West Ham and Southampton -- the Reds have rallied this campaign and occupied second place behind Chelsea before being held 1-1 away to fierce rival Manchester United on Sunday and dropping to third on goal difference.
No team has lost fewer matches -- second-placed Tottenham also has two defeats.
While fellow summer signings Georginio Wijnaldum and Joel Matip -- who turned down the chance to play for Cameroon in Gabon this month -- have also had a hand in making Anfield a fortress once again, neither has been so integral to Liverpool's success as Mané.
The former Metz and Red Bull Salzburg striker has completed 47 take-ons -- more than twice as many as teammate Adam Lallana -- and created 33 chances, second only to Roberto Firmino.
With the third-highest performance score in CNN Sport's ROI rankings, Mané's presence has helped Klopp's side to 14 wins, five draws and just one loss.
Without Mané
Mané didn't taste defeat until his 14th competitive Liverpool match -- and even then through no fault of his own, with the Reds 3-1 up against Eddie Howe's Bournemouth when he departed the field for Lallana in the 69th minute.
The rest is Cherries history -- Bournemouth rallied to win 4-3 -- but with a goal and an assist to his name, Mané could have been forgiven for heading to the bench thinking the job was done.
Fourteen players to watch in Gabon
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will lead host nation Gabon's bid to win the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. Scroll through the gallery to see some of the tournament's key players ...
Wilfried Bony, Ivory Coast: The forward played a key role in Les Éléphants' triumph in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, with two headers in a quarterfinal win over Algeria. With the international retirement of Yaya Toure, the 28-year-old Manchester City striker -- on loan to Stoke City -- assumes the role of team leader for the tournament's favorite.
Cheikhou Kouyate, Senegal: The 27-year-old rock of West Ham's midfield can score goals when called upon -- including the Hammers' first-ever goal at the Olympic Stadium this season. Senegal's towering 6-foot 4-inch team captain played in the 2015 Cup of Nations as well as the 2012 Olympics.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Gabon: Borussia Dortmund's striker is famous for his Usain Bolt-like bursts of speed -- as well as his superhero goal celebrations -- and is one of the bona fide global stars of the tournament. The French-born 27-year-old is averaging nearly a goal per game in the Bundesliga this season, but he will have to match that pace if the hosts are to advance deep into the tournament.
Andre Ayew, Ghana: The 26-year-old West Ham winger already
has 71 caps and 12 goals for Avram Grant's team, and assumes the Black Stars' leadership role from the waning Asamoah Gyan. He has big shoes to fill, considering his father Abedi Pele is known as one of the greatest African footballers of all time.
Islam Slimani, Algeria: The 6-foot 2-inch striker was a goal machine in his three seasons with Sporting CP in Portugal, and has already found an effective partnership with compatriot Riyad Mahrez in his first season at Leicester City. Slimani
has 23 goals in 46 caps for Algeria, who will look for him to create chances with Mahrez and veteran striker El Arabi Hillel Soudani to get past the first round.
Mohamed Salah, Egypt: Salah is the fastest rising star on a team loaded with young European club talent. The "Egyptian Messi" has found a home with Italian A.S. Roma, which named him player of the season for his team-leading 14 goals in its 2015-2016 third-place campaign. The 24-year-old speedster has a prolific
29 goals in 47 appearances for Egypt.
Karim El Ahmadi, Morocco: Thirty-one-year-old defensive midfielder El Ahmadi is one of a few veteran players on a young Moroccan team. The Dutch-born player is now in his second spell with Feyenoord after two years in the Premier League with Aston Villa, and will be called to anchor the spine of the Atlas Lions.
Adama Traore, Mali: The 21-year-old Monaco midfielder has very little experience at club and senior international level. However, he was named player of the tournament at the 2015 Under-20 World Cup in New Zealand behind his four goals and three assists. Should he be given a chance, Traore could prove a surprise in Gabon.
Franck Kessie, Ivory Coast: The 20-year-old midfielder might return from AFCON having swapped current Italian club side Atalanta for a European heavyweight, with Chelsea having reportedly had a big bid rejected for him, according to the player's agent. Kessie has six goals in 16 games for Atalanta so far this season and his all-action style has drawn comparisons with compatriot Yaya Toure, who has now retired from international football.
Aymen Abdennour, Tunisia: Although central defender Abdennour (left, with teammate Anis Ben Hatira) is the most experienced outfield player for the Eagles, at the age of 27 he's still in his footballing prime. The former Monaco player signed with Valencia last season as a replacement for Manchester City-bound Nicolás Otamendi.
Bertrand Traore, Burkina Faso: Chelsea forward Traore -- on loan at Ajax -- made his senior debut for Burkina Faso as a 15-year-old, and will be playing in his third Africa Cup of Nations. Despite limited club appearances, Traore is known for his deft ball skills and has attracted a cult following in Amsterdam.
Michael Azira, Uganda: The Colorado Rapids defender (#42) is one of only a few MLS players participating in Gabon. Azira moved to the US as a 20-year-old college player before signing with the Seattle Sounders and has since moved to the Colorado Rapids. Azira, whose family still lives in Uganda, will be participating in his first tournament for his birth country.
Alaixys Romao, Togo: Before his recent move to Olympiacos, French-born Romao was the lynchpin of Marseille's midfield. Should current free agent Emmanuel Adebayor not find the net regularly to lift the the Sparrow Hawks in Gabon, Togo will rely heavily on an organized defense led by Romao.
Knowledge Musona, Zimbabwe: Striker
Musona (center, hand raised) knows how to score goals. Nicknamed the "Smiling Assassin," Musona has knocked in
14 goals in 20 appearances for the Warriors, and has a good strike rate for Belgian club KV Oostende too. If Zimbabwe, which is the second biggest outsider in the tournament at 100 to 1 odds, is to get out of its group, it will need Musona to continue his fine form.
Liverpool's only other Premier League setback this season was August's dismal 2-0 defeat at promoted Burnley, and Mané was similarly sidelined when it all went wrong.
Burnley had just 19% of possession -- the lowest proportion from a winning team since records began in 2003 -- but still did enough to triumph 2-0.
Mané's pace and ability to break between the lines was missed -- something clearly encapsulated by Southampton's struggles in front of goal since his departure. The Saints have only scored 19 goals this season -- fewer than many teams in and around the relegation zone.
Without Mané in the squad, his Liverpool teammates have struggled, losing 33% of matches.
"We knew before it's part of the deal," Klopp admitted. "We get this outstanding player who unfortunately won't be involved in January.
"We cannot change the football in this moment. Sadio is away; we need to find solutions."
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Mané admitted "it will not be easy to go with Senegal" after scoring the winning goal against Everton in December.
"I would love to carry on playing with my teammates and help my team, but I think they will understand because it is my country and it is my dream."
He scored in his last game before leaving Gabon, a 2-2 draw with struggling Sunderland on January 2, and since then Liverpool has been held 0-0 by fourth-tier side Plymouth in the FA Cup and lost 1-0 to Southampton in the first leg of the League Cup semifinal before the January 15 draw at Old Trafford.
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Mané was Senegal's top scorer with three goals as the "Lions of Teranga" won all six AFCON qualifying matches -- and made the perfect start to this month's tournament in Gabon with a penalty in Sunday's 2-0 win over Tunisia.