Ole: Agent no barrier to Haaland move
OLE Gunnar Solskjaer has hinted United would not be put off a potential move for Erling Haaland because Mino Raiola is the player’s agent.
The Red Bull Salzburg forward is a target for United heading into the January transfer window but the club have had difficulty when dealing with Raiola before. The 52-year-old represented Henrikh Mkhitaryan during his spell at Old Trafford and they’ve had problems with the Italian with regards to Paul Pogba.
However, despite recent issues, Raiola has said the midfielder wants to stay at United to win trophies and Solskjaer suggested earlier in the day that the super agent would have no impact on the Reds’ decision to sign one of his clients.
“Players can choose their own representatives. I can just use myself as an example,” Solskjaer said. “I had probably my best friend to look after me. It is so important that every player has the complete 100 per cent trust in whoever represents them.
“Because they work for the player. The player is in charge. I don’t have any issues in whoever represents the players because I don’t really speak to them, I have got nothing to do with the money.”
There might be some loans. We have some who would benefit from playing more
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
UNITED may look to loan out some of their players in the January transfer window, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed.
The Norwegian has given playing minutes to plenty of youngsters this season with players such as Brandon Williams, James Garner, Mason Greenwood and Tahith Chong and, with other players coming back from injury in the new year, playing time could start to diminish.
But while Solskjaer is open to the possibility of sending some of the youngsters out on loan for the second part of the season, he is also conscious about leaving his first team squad short.
“There might be some loan moves because we do have some who would benefit from playing more,” Solskjaer said.
“Then again, there are so many games, we’ve been quite good at juggling and there will always be injuries and we have to make sure we’re not left light.
“I’d rather have a player or two too many and balance that. We have some youngsters who we know in two years will be brilliant so we will make a decision that we believe will be right in January.”
Bringing through academy players is something Solskjaer remains committed to and this week marked a year since the Norwegian took the job and he spoke about what he had learned in his year in charge at Old Trafford.
“It’s so hard to say what’s the one thing, because you’re learning all time, about the players,” he said. “I think for me it is stick to your principles, stick to your values, do it your own way, the way you always have – just be yourself.
“I have to be myself. If that means shouting at the players and they don’t like it, so be it.
“If it means being gentle with them when maybe others think I should have been hard...I’ve just got to be me. With the staff I have got I can be me because they’re fantastic and I’m just so pleased and privileged to have the staff I have.
“I am looking forward to sessions and coming in every day – I don’t even mind talking to you lot. I’m not going to play any mind games, just be me.”
Meanwhile, Solskjaer has warned Reds fans that their side’s up and down form will continue for the immediate future.
The Norwegian believes that youth in his current squad will mean inconsistent results will keep cropping up. United have dropped points against Southampton, Crystal Palace, West Ham, Newcastle and Bournemouth among others this season.
“It’ll take time as everything will do in football,” Solskjaer told Sky Sports.
“We’re such a young team that we’re still going to see some inconsistency but you’re not going to see us surrender – you’re not going to see that. “It’s been a rollercoaster,” he said on his 12 months in the job.
“But it’s been fantastic. It’s been a year that maybe I didn’t think was going to come but deep down in the back of my mind, I always dreamt about this job.”