Manchester United rebuffed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer‘s plea as a teenager to recruit Erling Haaland, according to his belief.
Prior to the former’s return to Manchester United, Solskjaer oversaw the growth of Erling Haaland during their separate tenures at Molde between 2017 and 2018. He initially served as interim manager before being hired permanently.
Speaking to a crowd on Friday night at the Mercure Manchester Piccadilly Hotel, Solskjaer disclosed that under Jose Mourinho, he attempted to convince United to sign the then-rising Haaland.
I reached out to United because we had a quality striker that they ought to have had, according to Solskjaer.
Unfortunately, they didn’t pay attention. I requested four million. He was never signed, though. 4 million! Never inquire as to his whereabouts. He’s too talented.
When Solskjaer was in charge, United did make an attempt to sign Haaland from Red Bull Salzburg in January 2020, but the striker ultimately decided to join Borussia Dortmund.
Following in the footsteps of his father Alf-Inge, he would go on to score an incredible 86 goals in 89 games over the course of two and a half seasons for BVB before finalizing a £51.2 million transfer to Manchester City last summer.
With 35 goals in his first season, Haaland has already surpassed the previous record for most Premier League goals scored in a single season.
City are also in position to claim the treble. They are one point ahead of Arsenal in the Premier League but have a game in hand. On Wednesday, they play Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final. In June, they play Man Utd in the FA Cup final.
