SIGNING OFF
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admits biggest Man Utd transfer regrets including England star who was ‘in the building’
Club legend also explained how much they could have landed a then-unknown striker for an absolute bargain
OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER has admitted he is plagued with regrets when it comes to failed transfers during his managerial tenure at Manchester United.
The former Red Devils striker and Treble winner also opened up on the club failing to secure Jude Bellingham after he visited Carrington.
4
4
4
Initially an interim coach, the Norwegian, now 51, ended up spending nearly three years in the role.
Solskjaer told his former team-mates Roy Keane and Gary Neville that the club "should have" signed Declan Rice during his time at Old Trafford.
He then rued over perhaps the biggest failed transfer bid - that for Erling Haaland.
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet, Solskjaer said: “I had him in Molde, for two seasons.
"The summer before I joined United, I rang the club and said ‘You’ve got to sign this boy – he’ll be top class’.
"They said no – they had enough reports on players. Then I became the caretaker manager and we’d sold Haaland to RB Salzburg.
"I told the club straight away to buy him while he has a release clause. We knew that then, and no one else would’ve paid the money - £20 million, it would’ve been a bargain."
When quizzed by Gary Neville on Bellingham's proposed transfer, he said: "He was in the building. I was there, Sir Alex Ferguson was there, Bryan Robson and Eric Cantona were all there that day.
Most read in Football
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS
"We all spoke to him and sold it as well as we could. He knew what he wanted a certain amount of minutes in the first team.
"He was 17 at the time, and he was the most mature 17-year-old I’ve ever met – he had it all planned out.”
Solskjaer then stated that the decision to bring Cristiano Ronaldo back to Old Trafford proved to be a mistake, as it required him to change how he asked his team to play.
He explained: “With the ball, with him in the team, it was no problem. But without him pressing, we had to change the different roles we’d gotten used to.
Solskjaer reveals gut-wrenching text before Man Utd sacking after players broke down in tears in dressing room
"We were one of the highest pressing teams before Ronaldo joined. We let Dan James go when Cristiano came in, and they’re two different types of players.
"It was the right decision to make for me – but it didn’t turn out to be the right one."
Following a second place finish in the previous season, Solskjaer was sacked within three months of signing the 37-year-old Ronaldo from Juventus, following a 4-1 defeat to Watford.
During Solskaer's appearance on the podcast, he also revealed the moment that he received a brutal text from the chief executive.
4