Sadio Mane has disclosed that he had a contract with Manchester United before doing a transfer U-turn in 2016, forgiving Jurgen Klopp for passing him up at Borussia Dortmund and joining Liverpool.
The Senegal international striker was in high demand at the time, having established himself in the Premier League at Southampton.
As Jose Mourinho prepared to take over as manager, Manchester United thought they had won the race for Mane’s signature, but the German boss on Merseyside convinced Mane that Anfield was the place to be.
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Sadio Mane Was On The Verge Of Joining Manchester United
Mane, who has a contract with Liverpool until 2023, revealed to The Telegraph how close he was to joining their arch-rivals: “I must admit, I was on the verge of joining Manchester United. I had a deal with them.
“I had everything worked out. It was all set to go, but I decided to go to Liverpool instead. I was convinced to support Klopp’s initiative. I’ll never forget the first time I received a call from Klopp.
“He tried to explain, and I told him, ‘that’s okay, it happened.'” I was able to forgive him. ‘Now I want you at Liverpool,’ he said. ‘OK, Dortmund is behind us; let’s concentrate on the future,’ I replied.
“‘We have a big project at Liverpool, and I’d like you to be a part of it,’ he continued. He then inquired as to what position I desired, since he could see that I was playing on the right side at Southampton, although I was used to playing on the left.
“I said I like the left side, and he responded, ‘But Coutinho is on the left!’ So I said, “Don’t worry, I’ll play on the right.” I could see myself in every position.”
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