During Solskjaer’s tenure as Manchester United manager from December 2018 to November 2021, he attempted to secure the signings of Bellingham from Birmingham City and Haaland from Molde, and later from Red Bull Salzburg. Despite his recommendations, both players eventually opted to join Borussia Dortmund, altering their career trajectories.
Speaking on SkyBet’s Stick to Football podcast, Solskjaer reflected on his efforts to recruit the talented youngsters. Regarding Bellingham, he recounted a meeting where he, along with Sir Alex Ferguson, Bryan Robson, and Eric Cantona, attempted to convince the player to join United. Despite their persuasive efforts, Bellingham sought assurances of first-team minutes and ultimately chose Dortmund. Solskjaer admired Bellingham’s maturity, noting his detailed plans at the age of 17.
On Haaland, Solskjaer revealed his prior experience coaching him at Molde and his recommendation to sign him before joining United. However, the club declined, and Haaland later joined RB Salzburg. Solskjaer advocated for United to pursue Haaland when his release clause was manageable, but the club opted not to. Haaland’s subsequent rise to stardom attracted attention from various top clubs, leading to his eventual move to Borussia Dortmund.
Both Haaland and Bellingham have since excelled on the global stage, with Haaland achieving success with Dortmund and Bellingham making waves at Real Madrid. Their accomplishments highlight what could have been for Manchester United.
Bellingham is poised to feature for Madrid against RB Leipzig in the Champions League, while Haaland will participate in City’s match against Copenhagen, showcasing their immense talent and potential on the European stage.
Erling Haaland
Erling Håland
EnglandThis season he played in total 6 times for 511 minutes for Champions League.
Erling Haaland scored 5 goals for Manchester City. He procured one assist. He received no yellow cards and no red cards.
His team is currently 2nd in Champions League. In the last match Manchester City won 3-1 against Manchester United.
Manchester City performance and stats
Manchester City
Manchester City is currently 1st in the Champions League with 18 points.
It has a positive goal difference after scoring 18 goals and conceding 7.
Manchester City will play the next match in Champions League against FC Copenhagen on Wednesday 6th of March in Manchester. The prediction is Manchester City winning the match.
Jude Bellingham
Jude Bellingham
This season he played in total 5 times for 449 minutes for Champions League.
Jude Bellingham scored 4 goals for Real Madrid. He procured 3 assists. He received 2 yellow cards and no red cards.
His team is currently 1st in Champions League. In the last match Real Madrid drew 2-2 against Valencia.
Real Madrid performance and stats
Real Madrid
Real Madrid is currently 1st in the Champions League with 18 points.
It has a positive goal difference after scoring 16 goals and conceding 7.
Real Madrid will play the next match in Champions League against RB Leipzig on Wednesday 6th of March in Madrid. The prediction is Real Madrid winning the match.
Manchester United performance and stats
Manchester United
Manchester United is currently 6th in the Premier League with 44 points.
In the last 27 games, it has won 14 times, drawn twice, and lost 11 times. In its last match, Manchester United lost 3-1 against Manchester City.
It has a negative goal difference after scoring 37 goals and conceding 39.
Manchester United will play the next match in Premier League against Everton on Saturday 9th of March in Manchester. The prediction is Manchester United winning the match.
