Good luck to Erling... wherever he’s going!
OLE Gunnar Solskjaer has downplayed Erling Haaland’s supposed flight to Manchester and claims he is due to board a connecting flight.
Norwegian outlets have reported United target Haaland, 19, boarded a flight from Stavanger Airport bound for Manchester on Friday morning a week after Solskjaer flew to Austria to visit the player’s representatives. Haaland was born in Leeds.
Haaland was supposedly due to touch down at 10.15am and the news emerged minutes before Solskjaer’s pre-match press conference.
Wen asked if he would see Haaland before his apparent connecting flight, he replied: “No.”
Solskjaer travelled to meet Haaland’s camp last week three days after the club’s head of global scouting, Marcel Bout, watched the Red Bull Salzburg striker play against Liverpool in their 2-0 Champions League defeat.
Haaland visited the training grounds of Bundesliga clubs Red Bull Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund last week but was pictured signing a United shirt in his hometown of Bryne in Norway on Tuesday.
Solskjaer managed Haaland at Molde and the United scout Tommy
Moller Nielsen watched him score all four Molde goals in their thrashing of Brann in July 2018. Solskjaer’s former Norway team-mate, Jan Aage Fjortoft, was at Old Trafford for United’s League Cup quarterfinal win over Colchester and broached the subject of Haaland with his compatriot.
“He is a player I like, we are always looking for good players,” Solskjaer told ViaSport. “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 is believed to have attended a recruitment meeting at United’s Carrington training complex last Thursday and was not present for the players’ recovery session on Friday following the 4-0 Europa League win over AZ Alkmaar.
United intend to have finalised their list of long-term targets in time for the winter window and a possible £20m release clause in Haaland’s contract – as well as the competition – convinced Solskjaer to reach out to the international.
On Sunday, Solskjaer refused to comment on his trip to Salzburg and was pressed on whether he had any advice to offer Haaland: “I don’t comment on the speculation so that’s it.’’