'My worst nightmare' - Gary Neville highlights transfer that got away for Manchester United

Gary Neville has admitted facing former Liverpool winger Sadio Mane would have been his 'worst nightmare'.

Mane spent eight years in the Premier League, enjoying successful spells at both Southampton and Liverpool. He joined the latter from the Saints in 2016 and scored 120 goals in 269 appearances.

During his time at Anfield, he also won six major honours, including one Premier League title and one Champions League crown. Alongside Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah, he helped form one of the deadliest attacks the division has seen in its rich history.

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His pace, power, intelligent runs and strength in the air often caused problems for opposing defenders, whose challenge was already hard enough trying to keep Firmino and Salah quiet. With that said, Neville, during a sit-down chat with Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold, has admitted being tasked with trying to keep the now-Al-Nassr winger at arm's length would have been a nightmare for him.

Neville, speaking to Alexander-Arnold on the latest edition of The Overlap, said: "How good was Mane, by the way? His runs, he would have caused me a massive problem."

"Same," Alexander-Arnold agreed. "He is the one player I have played who I have thought I am glad I don't have to play against him."

Neville then confessed: "He would have caused me nightmares. He would have been my worst nightmare."

"He was the perfect attacker, you know,” Alexander-Arnold added. "He had everything.

"As an athlete, in the end, he was probably similar to Ronaldo, you know. He had the jump, he could get up, he was fast, he could finish. His finishing probably wasn't the same but he could finish with both feet. He was just a threat at all times."

Mane, who spent a year at Bayern Munich after leaving Liverpool in 2022, was on the radar of former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal in the summer of 2015 - just 12 months before he joined Liverpool from Southampton. The former United boss, who was in charge of the Netherlands at the time, made the admission ahead of his side facing Senegal at the 2022 World Cup.

"I wanted him when I was the manager at Man United," said the Dutchman. "I chased him at the time. I am a fan of Mane. He can break open a match and I would say Senegal will really miss him."

Mane missed the showpiece event in Qatar two years ago through injury. Senegal made it to the last 16 of the competition without him but were knocked out by England, losing 3-0.