Sadio Mane rejected Man Utd transfer ‘because of Louis van Gaal’s tactics’

Sadio Mane opted against joining Manchester United because he had no interest in playing under Louis van Gaal.

The Red Devils were keen on bolstering their attacking ranks with the signing of Mane, who was plying his trade with Southampton at the time.

According to ESPN, United held talks with the Senegal star’s representatives over a big-money move before he joined Liverpool in 2016.

However Mane quickly made it clear that he had no desire to play under the Dutch boss.

The publication also claims Mane had reservations over Van Gaal’s tactics and his reluctance to encourage flair players.

The development comes after Van Gaal lifted the lid on 10 transfer targets he wanted to bring to Old Trafford during his time as Manchester United boss – but he was unable to sign any of them.

The Dutchman took over from David Moyes on a three-year deal in 2014 and was faced with rejuvenating what he described at the time as a “broken” Red Devils squad.

Van Gaal quickly got to work in the transfer market, signing Ander Herrera, Luke Shaw and Marcos Rojo before breaking the record transfer fee paid by an English club with the £59.7million signing of Angel Di Maria from Real Madrid.

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And although he spent £150million in his first transfer window alone, Van Gaal claims there were a number of big-name signings he missed out on.

“I wanted Robert Lewandowski, but when this proved difficult I tried to get Gonzalo Higuain instead,” Van Gaal told FourFourTwo .

“Before I had arrived, I also spoke with the board about Neymar. If you are at United, you have to think big.

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“He was also interesting for the club in terms of selling shirts, and I wanted to have quick wingers. For that reason, I also tried to get Sadio Mane and Riyad Mahrez.

“Thomas Muller was on my wish list, too, and in central midfield I wanted N’Golo Kante. I even tried to sign James Milner, who was already quite old but very multifunctional and possessed leadership skills.

“For the defence, I wanted Sergio Ramos and Mats Hummels, because ours wasn’t the strongest in building from the back.”