Sadio Mane thought Southampton squad did not want to pass to him: Victor Wanyama

Sadio Mane arrived in the Premier League from Red Bull Salzburg in Austria six years ago. The talented Senegalese international was brought in by Premier League side Southampton in 2014. The Saints shelled out a reported £11.8 million to bring in Sadio Mane from Salzburg with the winger signing a four-year contract. The fleet-footed Senegal international quickly emerged as a fan favourite at Southampton going on to score 21 goals in 67 appearances for the club. However, former Southampton teammate Victor Wanyama revealed that Mane had some trouble settling in with his teammates at Southampton when he initially joined from Salzburg.

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Sadio Mane thought Southampton teammates did not want to pass to him: Victor Wanyama

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Victor Wanyama, who joined Montreal Impact after ending his contract with Tottenham, spoke about Sadio Mane’s initial training sessions when both played for the Saints under Mauricio Pochettino. In an interview with Madgoat TV,  Wanyama was quoted as saying, “We were like a family under one father [Mauricio] Pochettino, but I and Mane forged a bigger brotherhood bond. [Morgan] Schneiderlin was also a great friend. At one point, Mane approached me and told me 'Hi man, these guys do not want to pass the ball to me, can the two of us play closely? They don't want me to score.' I reluctantly agreed and anytime I got the ball I would pass it to him though. I wanted to treat him right since he is a good and nice guy.”

Victor Wanyama further spoke about how Mauricio Pochettino recruited him to play in the Premier League while he played for Motherwell in the Scottish league. The Kenyan international stated, “Pochettino came and watched me in one of the games when we were playing against Motherwell. He came on a day I was playing as a centre-back due to injuries that had hit the team then. After the game, he pulled me aside and told me 'How are you playing at centre-back? We thought you are a midfielder?' and I replied that I am a midfielder indeed. Pochettino told me he was coming to buy me to help Southampton who were seriously struggling.” Wanyama made 85 appearances for Southampton before moving to Tottenham in 2016 to once again team up with Mauricio Pochettino. The holding midfielder mutually terminated his Spurs contract earlier this year to join Thierry Henry's Montreal Impact side in the MLS.

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