Man United had the chance to sign Erling Haaland in 2018, according to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (Image: Getty)
Louis Saha claimed that ‘s decision not to sign Erling Haaland is one of the club’s most significant transfer blunders in recent years. The star has established himself as one of the world’s leading goalscorers, having initially made his name at Molde and Salzburg.
He then gained widespread recognition with Borussia Dortmund before moving to City in 2022 for an initial fee of £51million. Haaland, 24, has maintained his remarkable scoring record at the Etihad, netting 114 goals in just 130 games. He has also secured the ‘s Golden Boot award in his first two seasons in England.
His arrival has coincided with City’s domestic dominance and first-ever Champions League title in 2023. Earlier this month, Haaland inked a staggering nine-and-a-half-year contract extension with the club, ensuring he will stay with the reigning champions until 2034.
However, before his move to Dortmund in 2020, there was a possibility that Haaland could have joined the Red Devils. , who managed Haaland at Molde, revealed on the that he had alerted his former club to the striker’s availability in 2018.
United opted not to trigger the £16.7m (€20m) release clause for a target, overlooking past signings like Alexis Sanchez, Antony, Radamel Falcao and Donny van de Beek, who didn’t quite shine at Old Trafford. Former United ace Saha regards this as one of the club’s gravest transfer errors in recent history.
Speaking to spaceportsweden.com, he expressed his disappointment: “As a fan, I was gutted when and Haaland announced that he was signing a new bumper contract.
The Norway international has scored a stunning 114 games in 130 games for Manchester City (Image: Getty)
“I was really upset that he didn’t sign for when Ole was there I know that we could have had him and that looks like one of biggest transfer mistakes that United have made in the last decade! As a football fan, I’m pleased that he has committed his best years to the .
“As I said, when you look around the division for world-class strikers; superstars, I think he’s the only one. I’m glad that we will get to enjoy him in the and that he won’t be joining Real Madrid or Barcelona.”
Having bypassed the chance to sign Haaland, United invested £72million in in 2023, who has underperformed with just seven goals in 29 games this season. The team’s shortfall in attack has sparked rumours of prospective signings in the January window, among them Bayern Munich’s young prodigy Mathys Tel.