Haaland to Man Utd? Let´s see what life brings, says Solskjaer

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer still speaks to Erling Haaland and said “let’s see what life brings” when asked about the striker’s future.

The Norway star was a target for the Red Devils before he joined Borussia Dortmund from Salzburg in January 2020.

Haaland’s progress in Germany has been remarkable, the 20-year-old having scored 27 goals in all competitions this season, second only to Robert Lewandowski among Bundesliga players.

Clubs including United, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich continue to be linked with a bid for the player, who scored twice against Sevilla last week to become the first player in Champions League history to reach as many as 17 goals in his first 13 appearances.

Solskjaer is still in touch with a youngster who progressed through the system at Molde and is proud of the way he has developed.

“I think when you’ve had kids and players through as a coach you follow them, and I keep in touch with Erling,” he said on Wednesday. “It’s great to see him become the player he has become and I know he will improve.

“He’s a Dortmund player and we wish him well there. Let’s see what life will bring later on.”

17 – @BlackYellow ‘s Erling Haaland is the first player in @ChampionsLeague history to score as many as 17 goals in his first 13 appearances. Lethal. #SEVBVB #UCL pic.twitter.com/QpAGqkvcng

— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) February 17, 2021

When pushed further on interest in Haaland last year and how well that reflects on United’s recruitment efforts under Solskjaer, he said: “You know I can’t speak about Erling because he’s with Borussia Dortmund and it’s disrespectful to talk too much about it, apart from that I know him and speak to him.

“Who wasn’t interested in him a year ago? Everyone would say you take the best players in the world and he’s a top player.

“In recruitment, we’ve done well. The signings we’ve made since I came to the club have contributed and added to the squad and that’s what we have to do: we have to complement what we have with different types of players. I’m happy with our recruitment model and the processes we go through.”

United are expected to sanction more outgoings in the next transfer window, with Juan Mata, whose contract expires at the end of the season, among those tipped to leave.

Although United have the option to extend the 32-year-old’s deal by a further year, he has only started eight times in 2020-21 and has recently been linked with Serie A giants Juventus, Milan and Inter.

“I’m not surprised teams are interested in him,” Solskjaer said. “He’s a very good footballer, and a fantastic professional and human being.

“When the contracts are running towards the end, there’ll be interest. I’m sure Juan has been able to speak to other clubs if he wanted to.

“I keep in touch with him all the time. We have a good dialogue.”