Former Man United manager admits missing out on Liverpool star

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Louis van Gaal has revealed he wanted to sign former Liverpool ace Sadio Mane whilst in charge of Manchester United.

The Senegal star ended up at United’s long-term rivals Liverpool, though, and he proved to be a significant loss. In his time on Merseyside, he netted 120 goals and contributed 48 assists in all competitions.

The Red Devils at the time were in dire need of a prolific attacker and have struggled to hit the back of the net consistently since.

Mane has since departed Liverpool to take on a new challenge at Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich. He has already scored 11 goals for the German side but has suffered an unfortunate injury which has ruled him out of the World Cup in Qatar, despite being named in the 26-man Senegal squad.

Van Gaal weighs in on failed Mane pursuit

The Netherlands manager, Van Gaal, reflected on his interest in the forward. He said (via the Daily Mail): “I wanted him when I was the manager at Man United. I chased him at the time, I am a fan of Mane. He can really break open a match and I would say Senegal will really miss him.”

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