One of Liverpool heroes from their Champions League and Premier League triumphs was wanted by two of their Premier League rivals
Sign up to The LFC Bulletin with Will Rooney
Sign up
Thank you for signing up!
Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to LiverpoolWorld, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.
Submitting...
Former Liverpool star Sadio Mane has revealed that he rejected moves to both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur to secure his move to Anfield back in 2016.
Mane became a key player for the Reds under Jurgen Klopp as he won a Premier League title, Champions League trophy along with an FA Cup, EFL Cup, UEFA Super Cup and a FIFA Club World Cup.
He made a total of 269 appearances for Liverpool, scoring 120 goals and providing 46 assists. However, it all might have worked out differently if the Senegal international opted to join one of Liverpool’s rivals all those years ago.
"Manchester United called me that time," Mane said, as he appeared on Rio Ferdinand Presents.
"[Wayne] Rooney was there. And [Angel] Di Maria was there. And [Memphis] Depay was there. When they failed to get me, they bought [Anthony] Martial."
Mane continued: "Van Gaal called me and he said, 'Mane, how are you? What are you doing?' He said, "I want you to come to Manchester United.
"[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 [Robin] van Persie. '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, make a good impression, you will play.' 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 at Southampton; I was not consistent."
He added: “A few days later, Klopp called me.”
Mane went on to add that after speaking with club he knew that Liverpool was the right club for him. While he was never sold on moving to Old Trafford, he did admit that he was more tempted by a move to North London.
On the approach from Tottenham, Mane said: "I had 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 – the problem was too many big players."
Mane stayed at Liverpool for six years before departing for Bayern Munich. His final appearance for the club was in the 2022 Champions League final in Paris which the Reds lost to Real Madrid.
He now plays in Saudi Arabia for Al-Nassr after joining the club in 2023. He helped form of one of Liverpool’s most iconic front threes alongside Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino. And all associated with Liverpool will be glad the winger opted for Anfield over the likes of United or Spurs.