Sadio Mane was close to joining Manchester United before opting for Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool – where he became a club icon. Having carved out a promising early Premier League career with Southampton – in which he achieved the league’s fastest ever hat-trick during a 2015 clash against Aston Villa – the Senegalese forward was in demand and had suitors lining up for him in 2016.
Anfield would be his chosen destination, where he formed an incredible front three alongside Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, and helped spearhead the charge for both a Champions League and Premier League title - among other trophies - under the now-departed Klopp.
Yet, things could have panned out very differently, as the 32-year-old has since revealed that he could have called Old Trafford home were it not for preferring the German to then-Red Devils boss Louis van Gaal. “I was really, really close [to a move to Man Utd] because I even met up with them,” Mane stated in 2019. “So I was coming, I was there, and I spoke with the boss who was there before [Van Gaal].
“They made an offer, but in the same week, Klopp called me. He said: ‘I think it’s the right club. The right coach for you, and I think it’s better that you go to Liverpool’. For me I think it was the right time as well. I said, ‘I am going to Liverpool.’”.
