The former United boss reveals that Haaland, Bellingham and Rice each agonisingly slipped through the net during his time at Old Trafford
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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has outlined just how close Manchester United were to signing Erling Haaland years prior to his move to Manchester City.
The Norweigan forward has catapulted himself into one of the greatest strikers of the modern game, having most recently helped Pep Guardiola's side to an emphatic Treble last season.
But fellow Norweigan Solskjaer was mightly aware of Haaland's talents years before he rose to stardom, identifying him during their time together with Molde.
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The former Red Devils boss recently spoke to Sky Sports' popular podcast 'Stick to Football', brought to you by Sky Bet , where he outlined how he told the club on two separate occasions to sign the former Dortmund striker.
“I had him [Erling Haaland] in Molde, for two seasons," began the 51-year-old. "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.
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"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."
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United's post-Sir Alex fallout has been well documented across the years, with some five permanent managers attempting to steer the club back to the top.
Solskjaer went on to add that two other current footballing superstars were also snubbed by the club during his time as boss, as the Red Devils couldn't force deals over the line.
“Jude [Bellingham], he was in the building," added Solskjaer. "I was there, Sir Alex Ferguson was there, Bryan Robson and Eric Cantona were all there that day when he came to the club.
"We all spoke to him and sold it as well as he could. He knew what he wanted a certain amount of minutes in the first team. He was 17 at the time, and he was the most mature 17-year-old I’ve ever met – he had it all planned out.”
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English players, as seen over the last few years, come at a premier price, but there was one other name who former Cardiff boss Ole wanted at Old Trafford too.
“I really like him [Declan Rice] as a player – we’ve discussed him a few times, and I think we would’ve done well with him in midfield.
"His legs, covering the pitch, and I think he improved a lot on his playmaking as well. Obviously, he would’ve cost some money, but we could’ve and should’ve gone for him.”
Bio: Matthew is a freelance journalist and has currently racked up bylines for Manchester United, Manchester Evening News, GOAL and SPORTbible to name a few. A long-term sufferer of Scunthorpe United, he currently resides in the north-west after escaping the smog of North Lincolnshire.
