´I´ve always liked this club´ – Haaland happy to have picked Dortmund over Man Utd

Erling Haaland said an immediate good feeling about Borussia Dortmund persuaded him to join the Bundesliga club instead of Manchester United.

Premier League giants United and Serie A champions Juventus – along with Dortmund’s Bundesliga rivals RB Leipzig – were interested in the 19-year-old.

However, the striker, who scored 28 goals in 22 appearances across all competitions for Salzburg in the first half of 2019-20, decided to sign for Dortmund, who had activated a release clause in his contract.

Presented to the media at Dortmund’s training camp in Marbella on Friday, Haaland outlined the reasons for his decision, adding his belief that the Bundesliga is a perfect league for him to continue his development.

“It’s been good, great guys, great staff. A good first week,” Haaland told a news conference.

Erling Haaland: 19, loves scoring goals and enjoys long walks on the beach pic.twitter.com/uYHj4v5Eh3

— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) January 5, 2020

Asked why he picked Dortmund above United, Haaland said: “I chose Dortmund because my feeling was best here. It’s a massive club. I’ve always liked this club.

“When I mention it, I start to smile because I like the club and how it is, so that’s why. I like everything [the fans, the style of play], all of it.

“[The Bundesliga] is a good league with a lot of good players. It’s a great league, the teams play nice football and I think it’ll fit me.”

Haaland is set to make his debut for Dortmund in a friendly match on Saturday. His competitive bow will not come until at least January 18, when Lucien Favre’s side take on Augsburg.