Why did Manchester United refuse to buy Erling Haaland for £4 million?

Seeing Erling Haaland perform spectacularly for Manchester City, MU supporters feel remorseful as they nearly acquired him at a significantly cheaper cost.

Erling Haaland is proving why he is currently the top striker in world football.After 23 matches this season, he has scored 25 goals for Manchester City. If he maintains this form, it would be no surprise for Haaland to win the European Golden Shoe.

Witnessing Haaland's brilliance in the Manchester City jersey, Manchester United fans cannot help but feel regret. Because in the past, they were the closest club to Haaland when he was still playing for the Norwegian club Molde.

At that time, the coach of Molde was Ole Solskjaer – the legendary Manchester United striker. He repeatedly contacted the MU board about bringing Haaland to Old Trafford. Back then, the Norwegian striker was valued at only £4 million in 2018. However, MU leadership was uncertain about Haaland and declined Solskjaer's proposal.

"I called MU about six months before I took over the club. I told them I wanted Erling Haaland, but they didn’t listen. I asked for a transfer fee of £4 million for Haaland, but MU didn’t sign him,”Solskjaer recalled in a 2023 interview.

The decision not to sign Haaland further highlights the poor era under Ed Woodward at Old Trafford. MU was willing to spend huge sums on established stars during Woodward’s tenure from 2013 to 2022, rather than investing in young talents.

Now, Haaland has truly become a nightmare for the Red Devils. He has scored 8 goals and provided 3 assists in 6 Premier League matches against MU.

Although he didn’t join MU as his first coach hoped, Haaland and Solskjaer still maintain a good relationship. Recently, Haaland publicly posted a photo of himself with the MU legend on Instagram with the word “Knowledge,” implying he is “learning from his former mentor.”

Previously, Haaland admitted he owes Solskjaer a big thank you because the coach helped him improve his finishing skills. Haaland scored 20 goals in 50 games for Molde under Solskjaer’s management, which was a crucial foundation for his later career breakthroughs.