Louis van Gaal has told reporters, as relayed by Sky Sports that he tried to sign Liverpool icon Sadio Mane during his time as Manchester United boss.
During his time at Anfield, the Senegalese winger was arguably the side’s best player as Jurgen Klopp brought back the club’s glory days.
After his exit from the club in Anfield, Paul Merson went as far as to state in his column for Sky Sports that their decline this season is down to his absence in the side.
Considering Mane’s success as a false 9 during the second half of the previous campaign, coupled with how much of a vital cog he was in Klopp’s system, this remains a popular take amongst several fans and pundits.
Louis van Gaal on trying to sign Mane
Speaking to reporters ahead of the Netherlands’ opener against Senegal in the World Cup, Louis van Gaal admitted that he had set his sights on signing Sadio Mane for Manchester United.
“I think [Sadio] Mane is an extraordinary player and I wanted him as manager of Manchester United. He [Mane] was at Southampton and I was chasing him at the time.”
The Dutch boss’ claim does not come as a surprise, considering the 30-year-old’s exploits during his time at St. Mary’s.
United’s loss was Liverpool’s gain
With Sadio Mane eventually departing Southampton to join Liverpool, Manchester United missed out on a player who is now considered as one of the Premier League’s greatest ever wingers.
From the former Saints forward’s electrifying debut against Arsenal where he scored a stunning strike, he only got better and better for the Reds as time wore on.
It’s safe to say that United would have benefited massively from the all-conquering wideman’s presence, but it was their arch-rivals that ended up doing so.
With Jamie Carragher dubbing Sadio Mane as a “true Liverpool legend” via Twitter after his move to Bayern Munich was confirmed, the thought of him playing for Manchester United still remains unimaginable.
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