Senegalese football star Sadio Mané revealed he turned down an opportunity to join Manchester United in 2015 due to concerns over playing time and his development under then-manager Louis van Gaal. Mané, who was playing for Southampton at the time, was directly contacted by the Dutch manager.
“Mister Van Gaal called me directly and said – ‘I want you to come to Manchester United,’” Mané recalled during an appearance on Rio Ferdinand’s “Rio Meet” podcast.
The forward consulted his agent but questioned his role given Manchester United’s attacking talent.
Mané stated his concern: “If they have [Memphis] Depay, [Wayne] Rooney, [Ángel] Di María and [Robin] van Persie… where am I going to play?”
He explained that he prioritized consistent play to foster his growth. Van Gaal assured him of opportunities if he trained well, but Mané remained unconvinced.
“At the time, I was young and still a bit inconsistent at Southampton. I needed to play every week to grow and United had too many big players,” Mané explained.
Mané also held discussions with Mauricio Pochettino about a potential move to Tottenham. He indicated he was more persuaded by that conversation, but a transfer did not materialize.
Ultimately, Mané joined Liverpool in 2016, where he played under Jürgen Klopp.