The inside story of Manchester United’s failed pursuit of Erling Haaland

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would lead extra finishing drills for Erling Haaland after regular training had finished during their two years together at Molde FK. Haaland was the worst kept secret in a small coastal town with a population below 30,000.

In a parallel universe somewhere, Solskjaer has rekindled his relationship with Haaland and the pair are working on his finishing at Carrington just after first-team training. Solskjaer has just overseen his second full season in charge of Manchester United as permanent manager and the club have just signed Haaland from Borussia Dortmund after activating his £51m release clause.

In reality, Solskjaer was sacked in October, United have endured their worst season in over three decades and Haaland has just joined rivals Manchester City. It was thought this season couldn’t get any worse for United, but the official announcement of Haaland’s arrival at the Etihad on Tuesday afternoon felt like another nail in the coffin. Haaland is the world’s most exciting centre-forward.

ALSO READ: Erling Haaland transfer to Man City has shown Ed Woodward is still hurting Manchester United.

It took Haaland just a few years to get there but it all started with Solskjaer at Molde, which is something the former United boss thought would give him an advantage in signing the youngster. That was made redundant by Solskjaer losing his job.

Molde signed Haaland in February 2017 and it didn’t take long for the striker to build a burgeoning reputation. Haaland, aged just 16 when arriving at Molde, already towered above his peers at 6ft 2in but his physique was yet to develop. That didn’t stop him from making an instant impression under Solskjaer and scoring a matchwinner on his debut in the Eliteserien in June that year.

Haaland was raw and he scored four goals that season. Solskjaer knew he was managing a special talent, though, and he was proved right the following year. Haaland contributed 12 goals and four assists in just 25 appearances for Molde’s first team in that campaign.

Haaland had gone from Molde’s worst kept secret to Norway’s worst kept secret – the word on the forward was travelling fast.

The word on Haaland had travelled to England, where there was a small amount of attention being drawn to the youngster, mostly because he was managed by Solskjaer and was born in Leeds, as the son of former City midfielder Alf-Inge Haaland.

Tommy Moller Nielsen, United’s scout stationed in Scandinavia, had also taken an interest in Haaland. Nielsen attended multiple games to watch Haaland in action for Molde, including one match against Brann in July 2018 when the youngster scored four goals against the opposition in the opening 20 minutes. United were beginning to realise exactly what Solskjaer was working with.

Solskjaer was also effusive in praise for Haaland after that match. “He can become a top striker for sure. He reminds me of the type of striker [Romelu] Lukaku is. There is a lot of interest in him,” Solskjaer told reporters.

“We have had offers from good clubs this year but we rejected them. Former Champions League winners. He is probably not the world’s biggest Manchester United fan, but if they come to the door, there are not many who say no to that.”

Leeds and RB Salzburg came ‘to the door’ soon after Solskjaer made those comments. The latter won the race for Haaland’s signature and the then-teenager moved to Austria in August 2018, ending his stint with Molde.

Solskjaer would join Haaland in leaving Molde just four months after the youngster’s departure when answering United’s call to succeed Jose Mourinho as caretaker manager. The pair would come close to working together again just two years later.

In the meantime, before United explored the possibility of signing Haaland from Salzburg in December 2020, the player lauded the influence of Solskjaer. Haaland’s reputation was growing with every month and the interview excited United fans.

“[Solskjaer] has had a huge impact on my life, both as a person and as a trainer,” Haaland said in September 2019 when asked about the Norwegian. “He won the Champions League and was an incredibly good player. He has taught me a lot.

“I have dreamed of playing for the best clubs in the world my whole life, and I especially like English football.”

Solskjaer wasn’t going to forget Haaland in a hurry and he informed United about his talent. Haaland had continued scoring for fun at Salzburg, briefly working under current Leeds boss Jesse Marsch, and Europe’s biggest sides were now circling like sharks.

At the back end of 2019, United’s interest had intensified. “He is a player I like, we are always looking for good players,” Solskjaer said. “Erling has had a nice development and he should keep developing where he decides to go. I don’t need to talk much about him.

“But as a team we are always looking for players who can complement the ones we already have. And then we will see what we end up with. The most important thing for all players, no matter where you are, that you are enjoying yourself where you are.”

Solskjaer travelled to meet Haaland’s camp on December 13 that year, which was shortly after United’s head of global scouting, Marcel Bout, watched the striker play against Liverpool in Salzburg’s 2-0 Champions League defeat.

Just 16 days after Solskjaer’s visit, Dortmund announced the signing of Haaland for £17m from Molde. Sources at the time told the MEN the player’s representatives wanted to secure a share from future sales of the Norwegian striker as part of the transfer.

United were unwilling to meet the proposed terms, with sources describing them as ‘bad for the industry’. It was understood United were unprepared to put themselves in a position where the agent could effectively control the sell-on, rather than the club.

Dortmund chief Hans-Joachim Watzke, speaking just two weeks ago, confirmed what sources had indicated two years back. “We gave Erling Haaland a release clause, otherwise he would have gone to Manchester United,” Watzke said.

Haaland admitted Solskjaer ‘had been very important’ in his development after signing for Dortmund and he didn’t lose his habit of scoring goals after moving to Germany. Solskjaer and Haaland didn’t stop answering questions about each other, either.

“It is clear that Erling is going to have a fantastic career,” Solskjaer said in February 2021, one month before he was permanently appointed at Old Trafford “I follow Erling. I have always said that. Was it 18 months we had together or something like that?

“A fantastic time. He will surely have a super career both for Norway and his club. He is doing incredibly well for Dortmund. We will see where he ends up. As a Norwegian and someone who has worked with him, it is, of course, great that he is doing so well.”

In a parallel universe, United’s talks to sign Haaland didn’t hit a stumbling block and Solskjaer and the forward are now preparing to challenge for the 2022/23 Premier League title at Old Trafford. Instead, Haaland is at Man City and Solskjaer is out of work.

It will be Pep Guardiola doing extra finishing drills after training with Haaland this summer, not Solskjaer. The next few years might have been so different if United had closed the deal back then.

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