Man United were handed Erling Haaland on a plate but snubbed £4million fee

The Red Devils have struggled for goals from their forward line this season, and currently rank as the Premier League's fourth-lowest scoring side, finding the net just 28 times since August.

Meanwhile Haaland has had no such difficulty, with 18 league goals to his name already, despite Manchester City struggling this term.

His goalscoring exploits are hardly surprising, with the Norwegian winning the Premier League Golden Boot at a canter in each of the last two campaigns, netting 36 and 27 goals respectively.

But Haaland's unstoppable form since joining the Citizens in 2022 will certainly have left Man United wondering what might have been.

This is because the Red Devils passed up on an opportunity to sign the 24-year-old for just £4million, whilst a promising youngster at Molde.

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Former United boss Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, who was Haaland's manager at the Norwegian side, has revealed that he told his old club to bring the then teenager to Old Trafford in 2018.

Speaking at 'An Evening with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer' event in 2023, Solkskjaer recalled how he tried to convince United of Haaland's huge potential, only for his advice to fall on deaf ears.

He said: "I got in contact with United because we had this talented striker who they should have had.

"But they didn't listen, unfortunately. Four million, I asked for. But they never signed him. Four million! Don't ask (where he is now). He's too good…"

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With United failing to follow up on Solskjaer's recommendation, Haaland instead joined Austrian outfit RB Salzburg in the same year, where his stock continued to rise.

Still aged just 18, he scored a staggering 29 goals in 27 games, earning him a move to Borussia Dortmund in January 2020.

Meanwhile, United's failure to follow up on Solskjaer's recommendation soon became even more frustrating for the Norwegian.

In December 2018, the ex-striker was appointed as Red Devils' head coach, denying him a reunion with his ex-protégé.

And with Haaland going on to establish himself as one of Europe's deadliest goalscorers whilst at Dortmund, United's loss was then compounded when he joined bitter rivals City in 2022.

Despite their career's taking different paths however, the pair appear to have remained on good terms.

In 2019, Haaland paid tribute to Solskjaer for his role in his career whilst starting out at Molde.

He told Norway's TV2: "He [Solskjaer] has had a huge impact on my life, both as a person and as a trainer.

"He won the Champions League and was an incredibly good player. He has taught me a lot."

So strong is their relationship in fact, that Solskjaer even wished his former tutee well after he completed his £51million move to the Etihad, albeit with a cheeky dig thrown in too.

Haaland told the Manchester Evening News in 2022: "When I signed with City he [Solskjaer] congratulated me and wrote to me: 'Good luck on going to the wrong side of Manchester.'

"We talk sometimes. As you know, he had a huge impact on my career when I was at Molde. He's a good guy."

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Despite Solskjaer's best wishes however, United will surely regret missing their chance on signing a teenage Haaland, who has terrorised Premier League defences since his arrival in England.

The Norway star has now netted a staggering 81 goals in 89 league games for the Citizens, helped his side land back-to-back English titles.

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