van Gaal: Why I wanted Mane at United

by Staff Reporter

Friday Sep 23, 2022. 15:48

Dutch national team manager Louis van Gaal has given insights into why he identified Sadio Mane as one of his targets during his time with English giants, Manchester United.

Van Gaal was in charge of the Red Devils between 2014 and 2016, in what was an indifferent period in England for the tactician. Looking to implement his much talked about possession based football philosophy at the club, van Gaal left Old Trafford as an FA Cup winner in 2016.

With United making a number of high profile signings at the time, van Gaal recently mentioned that he wanted to acquire the services of Sadio Mane, as the Senegalese star eventually opted to join rivals Liverpool.

The former Bayern Munich manager said that Mane’s willingness to help the team is what led him to add the ex-Southampton star to his list of targets and that players of his kind are hard to defend against.

“Sadio Mane is a true team player,” van Gaal told Dutch publication NOS.

“This is the reason why I really want him at Manchester United.

“These are difficult players to play against.”