Liverpool vs Man Utd: Solskjaer ‘we have a chance of winning’
Sadio Mane will be lining up against Manchester United for Liverpool today, but things could have been very different for the jet-heeled forward. The player himself even claims he was “really, really close” to moving to Old Trafford.
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Sadio Mane turned down a transfer to Man Utd due to Louis van Gaal (Image: GETTY)
ESPN have previously reported that Mane decided against signing for United, because he did not want to work with Louis van Gaal.
The Dutchman was unable to persuade Mane to move to the club, while Jurgen Klopp later enchanted him during their phone call about a move to Liverpool.
A win today would put Liverpool 16 points clear at the top of the table with a game in hand.
The Reds are on course to win their first-ever Premier League title, which has posed the question whether their top stars will continue to stay motivated.
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According to Mady Toure, the owner of the Dakar-based football academy that unearthed Mane in Senegal, the winger has been told to quit Liverpool next summer.
"The fact Sadio has won the African Ballon d’Or will spur him on to win the European one too. That’s his objective,” Toure told The Guardian.
“Sadio always told me he would become one of the best players in the world.
"He said that to me and now he is among them but he has to leave Liverpool now.
“It’s his last year and he has to leave Liverpool when it’s up to go to Barcelona or Real Madrid.”