Mane: ‘Why I Rejected Man Utd For Liverpool’

Sadio Mane Reveals Why He Rejected Man Utd. Photo: Gallo Images

Former Liverpool star Sadio Mane revealed that he rejected a move to Manchester United in favour of a move to the Reds.

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The Senegalese talisman enjoyed six successful seasons at Anfield, where he scored 120 goals in 269 games, winning the UEFA Champions League and English Premier League in that time.

Having left the Merseyside outfit in 2022, he joined German giants Bayern Munich for one season before departing to Saudi Arabia to join Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr.

The 33-year-old has not lost his scoring touch, and recently grabbed a hat-trick in his country’s 8-0 drubbing of Benni McCarthy’s Kenya.

Mane sat down for an interview with former England defender Rio Ferdinand to discuss his early playing days, his time at Liverpool, the decision to move to Saudi Arabia as well as the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

However, the versatile forward also revealed that he had rejected a move to Manchester United in 2015 as he was not convinced by then-Red Devils boss Louis Van Gaal.

“Manchester United called me that time,” Mané said. “I was talking to Van Gaal that time. Rooney was there, Di María was there, and [Memphis] Depay was there,” Mane said.

“Van Gaal called me and he said, ‘Mané, how are you? What are you doing?’ He said, “I want you to come to Manchester United.”

“I said, ‘Really?’ He said, ‘Yeah.’ I said, ‘OK. Now I’m talking to my agent,” he added.

Mane, then at Southampton, said he was worried about his playing time and was not happy with Van Gaal’s answer about where he would play.

“He said, ‘I know your talent, you’re good. But if you do good training, a good impression, you will play. But we have another player who is also good,” Van Gaal said.

“I was not convinced about his explanation,” the winger added.

Mane also revealed that then-Tottenham Hotspur coach Mauricio Pochettino had approached him to join the London club, but a phone call from Jürgen Klopp prompted Mane to make his decision to join the Reds in 2016.

“I met Klopp. He wanted to bring me to Dortmund, but it didn’t work out.” Klopp called me. I say, ‘This is my Klopp. This is the right…this is what I want.'” Mane said.

The former CAF Player of the Year revealed the words the German told him to convince him of the move.

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“We will build the team no one wants to play against. And then, if we grow up together, you will play every game,” he added.

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