Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has given his reaction to Manchester United missing out on Erling Braut Haaland – saying Borussia Dortmund have signed ‘a fantastic boy’.
United were widely expected to sign Haaland from Red Bull Salzburg in the January transfer window, with the 19-year-old having played under Solskjaer when he was manager of Norwegian club Molde.
Instead, the teenager completed a switch to German club Borussia Dortmund on Sunday, amid claims United had pulled out of a deal over demands made by Haaland’s agent Mino Raiola.
Raiola denied that, saying Haaland had his own reasons for choosing Dortmund over United.
‘The club that he had the most direct contact with him was United,’ Raiola told The Telegraph.
‘They spoke to him the most. Everybody had the chance to talk to him in person. We let that happen especially when he knows Ole.
‘Clearly he [Haaland] felt that at this moment it was not the right step in his career. There is nothing against Manchester United or Ole.
‘He chose Borussia Dortmund ahead of them and other clubs and I’m very happy because he is going to the club he wanted to go to and that is best for him right now.
‘If he wanted to go to Manchester United I would have been obliged to take him to Manchester United but he did not.’
Either way, United boss Solskjaer missed out on the chance to add some much-needed firepower, with striker Haaland having scored 16 goals in 14 league games for Salzburg, as well as eight in the Champions League.
Asked about missing out on Haaland following United’s 2-0 Premier League defeat to Arsenal on New Year’s Day, Solskjaer said: “Well, Dortmund have signed a fantastic boy, I can’t answer more than that.”
Meanwhile, Solskjaer says United will look at “one or two additions” in the January transfer window after they were hit with a double injury blow.
United were without midfielders Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay for their defeat to Arsenal , with both set to be on the sidelines for some time.
McTominay is expected to be out for another two months after he suffered knee ligament damage in United’s win over Newcastle, while Pogba needs ankle surgery and will be out for at least another month, having not started since September.
The double blow is a huge setback for Solskjaer’s side, with McTominay having been arguably United’s most consistent player this season, while the Red Devils have sorely missed the creative spark Pogba would be expected to provide.
Solskjaer said he will try and find solutions with the transfer window officially Opened – although much depends whether the kind of players United need are available.
The United boss said: “Sometimes you think one or two additions would do nicely because we are building towards something, but it depends on whether those players for us are available.”