Sadio Mane is a Liverpool legend, but the forward could have turned out for Manchester United after agreeing to join the Reds Devils before penning a contract at Anfield
Manchester United fans may twitch when Sadio Mane is mentioned throughout the transfer window.
The Liverpool legend is another ‘what might have been’ for the Red Devils. Having wowed Premier League supporters with his storming displays for Southampton, Mane looked set for a move to Old Trafford in 2016.
United thought the deal was set in stone, but a phone call from Jurgen Klopp tore their transfer plans apart. Mane, who is now playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr, instead joined Liverpool in a deal worth £36million.
Jose Mourinho would go on to sign Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Zlatan Ibrahimovic during a transfer window, which also saw them snap up Eric Bailly and Paul Pogba. Considering what Mane went on to do for Liverpool, United fans may still be spitting feathers over their failure to sign the Senegal international.
Mane spent six years at Anfield, winning the Premier League, the Champions League, the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Club World Cup. Yet, even he admitted his path was leading him to United before the Klopp roadblock.
In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Mane 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’.
“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.”
In the summer of 2022, Mane broke Liverpool hearts by walking away from the club to join Bayern Munich. He was thrust into centre-forward with the expectation of filling the enormous void left by Robert Lewandowski. While he did win the Bundesliga, his one year in Germany was forgetful and disappointing, particularly with the reputation he carved out for himself at Anfield.
After less than a season, he was linked with a return to Liverpool, who endured a disappointing fifth-placed Premier League finish. Mane’s replacement Darwin Nunez was also enduring similar struggles to Mane after arriving for around £85m.
A move for Mane did not happen and the Senegalese star went East to join Al Nassr, where he is reportedly earning around £34m per season in the tax-free Saudi Arabia. Yet the rumour mill around Mane’s future in the Middle East has been spinning again.
He has been linked with both a move to Liverpool and RB Salzburg, the club he played for before he moved to Southampton in 2014. Yet, Mane’s agent Bjorn Bezemer poured cold water on any romantic returns, insisting Mane will remain 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.”
Salzburg are currently managed by Pep Lijnders, Klopp’s former assistant manager at Liverpool. Also, Mane has spoken fondly about how much he loved the city of Salzburg when he was playing there.
When asked about Salzburg before Liverpool faced them in the 2019 Champions League, he said: “I love the club and the city. I met great people there in a great club. As a human being, I learned a lot.
“Of course, it’s a special game for me. I was playing there for two-and-a-half years and now I’m going to play against them. They will be ready for me and I will be ready for them as well. I will be really happy to meet my ex-team-mates. But at the same time, I would love to win against them!”
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