''Too many big players" - Liverpool icon reveals why he rejected Manchester United move after Van Gaal chat
Man Utd have been reminded of another missed opportunity in the transfer market.
It is ten years since Manchester United tried to sign Sadio Mane from Southampton as they planned their rebuild under Louis van Gaal.
Mane had only been at Southampton for a year following his then club-record move from RB Salzburg, but clearly possessed the raw potential to become one of the best in the Premier League. It would be another year before he eventually made the switch to Liverpool for fee of £36 million, one that proved to be a bargain for a player of such huge talent.
It could have been different though, had he moved to Manchester instead. After a solid debut season in English football, Mane was targeted by Van Gaal to add extra firepower to his attack. The problem was they already had Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie, Memphis Depay and Angel Di Maria. The Senegalese forward knew it would be a huge risk to join a club where competition for places was so fierce.
Why Sadio Mane rejected United move
Sadio Mane quickly went on to establish himself as a club great at Liverpool, where he won the Premier League, Champions League and Club World Cup. The 33-year-old is widely regarded as one of the greatest African players of all time, though who knows what would have happened if he has moved to Manchester United instead.
"Manchester United called me that time, I was talking to Van Gaal," he told ESPN. "I was talking to Van Gaal that time. Rooney was there. And Di María was there. And ... and [Memphis] Depay was there. When they failed to get me, they bought [Anthony] Martial. 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. [Van Gaal said] 'We'll see what is the best, because I know you're a good player and you can help the team, and we can help you also to become better players'.
"And then I said, 'OK, so my question: you have Depay, you have Rooney, you have Di María, you have Van Persie, I think the same. 'So where am I going to play?' That was my question, because me, I want to play. He said, 'I know your talent, you're good. But if you do good training, good impression, you will play. But we have another player which is also good'.
"I was not convinced about his explanation. I talked to the coach, but he told me that I will play if I'm good; if not. But at the time, me, I was not ready, I can say. I was young. I still needed someone to help me more. And one or two more years to become what I want to be. Because I was still in Southampton; I was not consistent. And then we said, 'OK, we'll see'.
"I have a meeting with Tottenham. At the same time, Mauricio Pochettino called him [my agent] and he said, 'I want to have Sadio to come to Tottenham training ground. And then I go to Tottenham training ground one week after. I see the facility, I meet the coach, I talk to him, and I was more convinced than the Man United project. Because Man United was too many... the problem was too many big players."