'I agreed terms with Man Utd - but snubbed them last minute to join Liverpool'

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.

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.’”

After lifting six major titles on Merseyside, Mane departed the Premier League in 2022 for a short stint in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich before moving to his current club, Al-Nassr, in Saudi Arabia.

Mane’s career could have looked very different on paper had he opted for United – who face up against Arne Slot's men on Sunday looking to claim a scalp and move towards mid-table – though he admitted upon leaving Liverpool that his time there was precious.

“Obviously, it is strange – really, really strange – to no longer be a Liverpool player after six years spent at Anfield," Mane told Liverpool's club website in 2022. "But of course, I had a great time, an unbelievable time, and since my first day, I really, really enjoyed training and playing at Anfield, especially in front of these amazing supporters.

“From the first day, I came to the club, I spoke to the boss when I was in Southampton, and I think at that time, we were not even in the Champions League.

“He called me, and I said, ‘For sure.’ I just decided in my heart that I am coming to Liverpool because that is where I see myself, and for me, it was the right time and the right club to achieve everything. So, I can say, of course, we won a lot, and I had a great, great time there.”