Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said it was Manchester United’s decision not to sign Erling Haaland, even though he wanted the player.
Haaland was managed by Solskjaer when the pair were at Molde, and the latter then became the manager of United.
The connection between the pair of them led to regular speculation that he would end up at Old Trafford, but ultimately he would sign for RB Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund before moving on to Manchester City where he won the treble.
Speaking to Sky Bet, Solskjaer explained that he had wanted to sign the player but the club decided against it.
He said: “I had him [Erling Haaland] in Molde, for two seasons. The summer before I got here [Manchester United], I rang the club and said, ‘You’ve got to sign this boy – he’ll be top class’. That was June/July 2018, and they said no – they had enough reports on players. Then I became the caretaker manager [of United], and we’d sold Haaland to RB Salzburg.
“I tell the club straight away to buy him while he has a release clause. We knew that then, and no one else would’ve paid the money - €20 million, it would’ve been a bargain. Even though with his links with Alfie [Haaland], and Manchester City and Leeds.
“It was the club’s decision to not go for it then. We never made bids or went in for him, until after he started scoring for Salzburg. By then, Borussia Dortmund were there, Juventus were there, everyone was there. His release clause then was still good - €60 million.
“He’s got more than just being a great lad. He’s such a team player, and one-on-one with a keeper, he doesn’t think about his own stats. He passes if someone else is through and it’ll be a 100% goal. He’s a gem.”
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