Neymar, Robert Lewandowski, Sadio Mane Were Louis Van Gaal’s Targets For Manchester United

The rich history of Manchester United always had the appeal to lure top talent for their squad. During the time of Louis Van Gaal, the former manager revealed that he recruited at one point Neymar, Robert Lewandowski and Sadio Mane to suit up for the club.

These three are prominent names in football and the thought of them teaming up to don the colors of the Red Devils was a vision Van Gaal had. This was during Van Gaal’s stint as the head coach of the team from 2014 to 2016.

“I wanted Robert Lewandowski, but when this proved difficult I tried to get Gonzalo Higuain instead," Van Gaal said as reported by Goal.com.

During Van Gaal’s stint with Manchester United, he was able to bring one FA Cup during the 2015-2016 season. The championship run signified a winning end to Van Gaal’s run as the manager of the Old Trafford-based squad by breaking a three-year title drought.

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

The possibility of having multiple stars in the team was part of Van Gaal’s vision as several big names were under his radar.

“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,” Van Gaal added.

This adds to another a what-if situation for Manchester United if these deals pushed through.

“Thomas Muller was on my wish list, too, and in central midfield, I wanted N’Golo Kanté,” Van Gaal continued.

Players such as James Milner, Sergio Ramos and Mat Hummels were also part of the possible players the veteran coach had in mind for Manchester United.

The current roster of the team is now different from what Van Gaal envisioned but it has already shown potential in the past few months. Despite falling out of the Europa Cup, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s roster pulled through with a sensational finish in the Premier League. Their third-place finish qualifies them for next year’s Champions League.

It will be interesting to see how far this current team will go with its current direction and Solskjaer’s leadership.