Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed that he wanted to sign Erling Haaland when he was the head coach at Old Trafford.
In an interview with The Athletic, the Norwegian mentioned the current Manchester City striker as being one of the players he wanted to sign but the Red Devils were unable to fulfil his wish.
Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo were also named as targets for Solskjaer during his time at Man Utd. The midfield pair recently completed big money moves to Arsenal and Chelsea respectively.
Solskjaer is quoted as saying:
“We couldn’t buy the players I mentioned to the club. Erling Haaland, before he made his Salzburg debut. Declan Rice, who wouldn’t have cost what he did in the summer. We discussed Moises Caicedo, but we felt we needed players ready for there and then.”
Haaland is currently ripping it up in the Premier League under Pep Guardiola, shattering several goalscoring records. He was signed for £51 million by the Sky Blues last summer from Borussia Dortmund.
The Norway international found the back of the net 36 times last season, breaking the long-time records held by Andrew Cole and Alan Shearer. The 23-year-old’s prolificity also helped City to the treble, winning the PL title, the FA Cup, and the Champions League.
United’s current attacking options
United could have thrived with someone like Haaland in their team, as he is capable of scoring goals consistently. Currently, the Red Devils have Anthony Martial and Rasmus Hojlund as their two natural striking options.
In the previous campaign, United had to rely on Marcus Rashford to find the back of the net, but the England international has not been at his best at the start of the new season.
Erik ten Hag has been unable to count on Martial regularly due to his fitness issues and the France international has not had much influence when the Dutch manager has called upon him.
On the other hand, Hojlund is still an up-and-coming talent with a lot to prove. While the Denmark international has been able to show glimpses of his talent at Man United, there is still a long way to go in his career.
Haaland and the other players Solskjaer mentioned would have added a lot of quality to United’s squad. However, a seeming lack of foresight from the Red Devils has seen them miss out on some quality players.
