Mane: How I forgave Klopp and rejected Man Utd
Robin Bairner
- 27 May 2022 10:02 BST
- 3 min read
Liverpool star Sadio Mane has confessed that he came close to completing a transfer to Manchester United from Southampton in 2016.
Instead, he received a phone call from Reds boss Jurgen Klopp, which changed the direction of his career entirely.
Instead of moving to Man Utd, he was persuaded that Liverpool was a better option, and he has since gone on to achieve legendary status at Anfield by winning the Champions League and the Premier League while scoring 120 goals in 268 appearances for the club.
Indeed, he has been so impressive this season that he is considered a leading contender to win the Ballon d'Or.
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Mane had a contract with Man Utd
Mane told The Telegraph how the discussion with Klopp went down – and just how close he was to going to Old Trafford.
“I have to say, I was really close to going to Manchester United,” he said. “I had the contract there. I had it all agreed. It was all ready, but instead I thought: ‘No, I want to go to Liverpool.’ I was convinced to go with Klopp’s project. I still remember the first time I got the call from Klopp.
“I was watching TV. It was an action movie - because I love movies - and he said: ‘Sadio, listen, I want to explain to you what happened at Dortmund.’ That was when he thought of signing me for Dortmund and for some reason it didn’t work out.
“He tried to explain and I said: ‘It’s okay, it happened.’ I forgave him. Then he said: ‘Now I want you at Liverpool.’ And I said: ‘Okay, Dortmund is behind us, let’s focus on the future.’
“He said: ‘We have a big project at Liverpool and I want you to be part of it.’ Then he asked what position I wanted, because he could see at Southampton I played on the right side and I used to play on the left. I said I prefer left, and then he said: ‘But Coutinho is on the left!’ So I said, never mind, I will play on the right. I could see myself in all the positions.”
Mane, who is linked with a move away from the club this summer, is gunning for a second Champions League title with Liverpool on Saturday, when they face Real Madrid in the final in Paris.
