Saido Mane reveals why he turned down Manchester United

Al-Nassr star, Sadio Mané has disclosed that he made the decision to turn down an offer to play for Manchester United because of the wealth of attacking talent already at the disposal of former Red Devils manager Louis van Gaal.
 

The Senegal international went on to become a Premier League icon during his time with the Reds, securing his move to Merseyside in 2016. He netted 120 goals in 269 games for Liverpool across six years before departing for Bayern Munich in 2022.
 

In a recent chat with ESPN, Mané recalled the pivotal moment in 2016 when he nearly signed for Manchester United from Southampton, a move that was ultimately preempted by a phone call from Jürgen Klopp which secured his signature for Liverpool.
 

Detailing the exchange with van Gaal, Mané explained his rationale:

“Manchester United called me that time, I was talking to Van Gaal. Rooney was there. And Di María was there. 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?’"

Mané explained his core concern centered on playing time: “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.”
 

While van Gaal assured him that good performance in training would guarantee him a spot, Mané admitted he was not convinced by the explanation.
 

“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’.”

Ultimately, Mané opted for the environment he felt would best support his development, paving the way for his hugely successful move to Liverpool.