Montreal Impact midfielder Victor Wanyama has said Sadio Mane felt Southampton players did not want to pass to him during their time together at the Premier League club.
The two African footballers were part of Pochettino’s side at St Mary’s Stadium and the Kenyan captain has revealed how Mane approached him for a deal that would have help him get more goals.
However, Mane and Wanyama left Southampton in 2016 for Liverpool and Tottenham respectively.
“We were like a family under one father [Mauricio] Pochettino but I and Mane forged a bigger brotherhood bond but [Morgan] Schneiderlin was also a great friend,” Wanyama told Madgoat TV.
“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 do not 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 also spoke about the difficulty he went through during his time with Celtic.
“There was a time we had a rough time together especially because of suspensions. My suspension came mostly from the hard tackles I applied trying to help the team,” he explained.
The midfielder also gave an account of how Mauricio Pochetteino came, watched him and signed him for Southampton.
“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,” added Wanyama.
“After the game, he pulled me aside and told me ‘how are you playing at centre-back and we thought you are a midfielder?’ but I replied that I am a midfielder indeed.
“Pochettino told me he was coming to buy me to help Southampton who were seriously struggling.”
After playing for Southampton from 2013-16, the Harambee Stars skipper decided to move to Tottenham but confirmed the fond memories he enjoyed there.
“I was happy with the motivation given at my first moment at Southampton especially the assurance that we can beat any team,” he concluded.
“There was a time I lost everything in my house through burglary and the support I got from the player was very amazing and I recovered quite quickly due to the reaction of players.
“My exit from Southampton to Spurs was as emotional as the exit from Celtic. But again, every club that I have played for I was happy with the oneness the players and everyone at the clubs showed. They were like families.”
