Manchester United supporters may wince every time Sadio Mane’s name surfaces during the transfer window.
The Senegalese star famously snubbed the Red Devils to join Liverpool in 2016. To make matters even more painful, a deal for the Africa Cup of Nations winner appeared to have been rubber-stamped, until Jurgen Klopp picked up the phone.
Instead, they had to watch Mane become a Liverpool legend, while their alternative targets did not come close to matching the ex-Southampton forward’s numbers. In the eyes of most United fans, he will be one of the ones who got away.
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In a past interview with the Daily Telegraph, Mane revealed his bags were more or less packed and ready to move to Manchester from Southampton. He said: “I have to say, I was really close to going to Manchester United.
“I had the contract there. I had it all agreed. It was all ready, but instead, I thought, ‘No, I want to go to Liverpool’. I was convinced to go with (Jurgen) Klopp’s project. I still remember the first time I got the call from Klopp. He said, ‘We have a big project at Liverpool and I want you to be part of it’.
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“Then he asked what position I wanted because he could see at Southampton I played on the right side and I used to play on the left. I said I prefer left, and then he said, ‘But (Philippe) Coutinho is on the left!’ So I said, never mind, I will play on the right. I could see myself in all the positions.”
Jose Mourinho had to settle on a move for Henrikh Mkhitaryan instead, who did not come close to matching the numbers Mane regularly put up for Liverpool. During his six-year stint with Liverpool, Mane clinched the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, and Club World Cup titles.
Fast forward to the present day, Mane’s future has become uncertain again. He swapped Bayern Munich for the Middle East last summer, linking up with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr.
Mane has been linked with a return to his former club RB Salzburg, where he starred before he joined Southampton in 2014. The Austrian giants are currently managed by Pep Lijnders, Klopp’s former assistant manager and a coach Mane knows well.
Yet, the winger’s agent, Bjorn Bezemer, quashed such rumours, assuring that Mane would stay put in the Middle East. “I did not have any meeting with clubs regarding Sadio,” Bezemer told Fabrizio Romano. “He is preparing the season with Al Nassr and has absolutely no intention to leave. His club is extremely happy with him.”
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