Erling Haaland has been continuously linked with a move to Manchester United and it is not hard to see why. The Norwegian is one of the best strikers in the world at this point of time despite being just 20 years of age.
Since moving to Borussia Dortmund in January of last year, he has been absolutely on fire. In 41 appearances for the Bundesliga giants, he has scored 39 goals and provided 9 assists. No wonder most top clubs in Europe are being linked with him.
One name that continues to crop up regularly is that of Manchester United though. The Red Devils had the chance to sign him last year before he eventually moved to Germany. And in hindsight, they must surely be regretting their decision.
There have been various rumours and speculations regarding why Haaland did not end up at Old Trafford. But his father appeared to have given a definitive answer when it comes to that matter and it does not make for good reading if you are an United fan. As reported by Manchester Evening News, he had said back in March of last year:
"“You never know how it would go in other clubs.“It may well have been good, too, if we had chosen a different route. We’ll never get an answer to that. But we are very happy with the clubs he has been in.“You have to go to a club where the whole club wants you, not just the coach.“I think that’s the most important thing, in addition to how the club has been over the last five or ten years and what direction they’ve taken.“Because it’s dangerous to just sign for a coach, because he can suddenly be sacked.”"
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Was Haaland a player that the Manchester United board didn’t want?
Now, it is natural that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would want Haaland at Old Trafford. Firstly, he is a spectacular player. And secondly, the Norwegian manager has already worked with him when he was at Molde and knows him very well from that time.
But do his father’s comments suggest that it was only Solskjaer who wanted the striker at Old Trafford?
Back then Haaland was playing for Red Bull Salzburg and although he had done spectacularly in the Champions League, there were many who thought he might end up being a one-season wonder. Clearly that is not the case.
It is hard to argue with his father regarding the matter of signing for a club just based on the manager. We all know how quickly things can change in modern football. Manchester United themselves are on their fourth manager ever since Sir Alex Ferguson retired back in 2013.