Manchester City hero Yaya Toure has revealed he tried to convince former boss Roberto Mancini to take a look at Sadio Mane while the winger was plying his trade at Southampton.
The Senegal star is gearing up to play in his third Champions League final with Liverpool on Saturday against Real Madrid, who dumped City out of this year’s competition earlier this month. Mane has been nurtured into one of the world’s best attackers by Jurgen Klopp.
He secured a switch to Anfield from the Saints in 2016, and has since completed the elite trophy set having lifted the Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League, Club World Cup, Super Cup and League Cup. But Toure had noted Mane’s talent a number of years before his move to Merseyside.
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Mancini was sacked in 2013, just 12 months after guiding City to their maiden Premier League title. Toure, then at the height of his career, had approached the Italian about Mane not long after their league success.
Speaking to the BBC, he said: "I remember when I was at Man City, I had a chat with Roberto Mancini, I think one year before he was sacked. And I asked him ‘Can you have a look into Sadio Mane?’.
“At that time he was at Southampton, playing there with (Mauricio) Pochettino. He was an unbelievable player and I knew he was going to be a great player, 100 per cent.
“Because the way he moves, the way he plays, he's so humble. I’ve never seen a striker like it. He’s not selfish, he is not thinking about him, he works for the team."
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