Liverpool's Mane Calls Man United 'A Wrong Team'

By Joshua Walters, Nigel Philips

Sadio Mane has described Manchester United as a 'wrong team', and said he chose Liverpool over the Old Trafford outfit because it 'was not the right club'.

Man United were on the verge of signing the Senegalese international from Southampton in 2016 until Liverpool hijacked the deal and directed the winger and goal-poacher to Anfield.

Mane has since gone on to become a key asset in Jurgen Klopp's side, and revealed in an interview on Supersports Wednesday he refused the Red Devils because they are not a right club.

“Honestly, I could not believe it," he said when asked about how he felt when he heard of Liverpool's interest. “It is because some clubs wanted me, like Manchester United; the wrong team wanted me. I spoke with Louis Van Gaal and they even made an offer, but for me, it was not the right moment and it was not the right club, and few days the right moment and the right team, the right coach and the right club came."

Mane has transformed from a near-school dropout, growing up in Sédhiou, Senegal, into a world-class winger and goal-poacher.

When asked about the Premier League club with the largest support base in his home country, the Liverpool star answered: 'Manchester United, the wrong team, but still so famous in Senegal.'

Mane abandoned school as a teenager, much to the displeasure of his parents who rather wanted him to study, and ran to Dakar to fulfill his dream of becoming a footballer.

“I said, I wanted to be a footballer, and my mom and dad said, you are crazy. I said I will go to Dakar, play on the streets and maybe someone can find me. One day, I parked my luggage, stopped school and went.”

“My best friend knew. After one week, when no one saw me in the house, they went, pressured my friend and he told them. They found me and took me from Dakar.”

Mane said, he agreed to continue schooling in order to feature in inter-schools tournaments.

“We have tournaments in school every year. They said I had to be in school all the time because the boys who do not come to school will not be included. That was the reason I went back to school.”