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He said it all! After two years since his dismissal from Manchester United , former coach of the 'Red Devils', Ole Gunnar Solskjaer , revealed that the club tried to sign Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice, Harry Kane, Moisés Caicedo, and Erling Haaland before they became the stars they are today and acquired their current market value. However, none of these signings were finalized because United needed players who were already established.
The Norwegian coach, Solskjaer, who was in charge of the Red Devils for almost three years until his dismissal in late 2021, revealed to 'The Athletic' that the English club intended to sign Jude as a priority in the summer of 2020 , when the player left Birmingham City to join Borussia Dortmund in Germany . He also mentioned that they had shown interest in Caicedo, Kane, and Haaland , but they failed to finalize any of those acquisitions.
Solskjaer explained that he contacted Manchester United about six months before taking over the position, but they were not receptive to his recommendations. He offered 4.5 million euros for Haaland, but the offer was not accepted. Furthermore, when Solskjaer was at Molde, he again suggested that they buy Haaland, but the club showed no interest in the "Android". "We had a real gem to be ours. He was a talented forward that we, referring to his former team, should have signed," he said.
He also referred to other possible football talents that the Premier League club could have signed, but due to the timing and the need for an already formed team, they failed to materialize. "We tried with Rice, it wouldn't have cost what it did in the summer, and we also talked about Moisés Caicedo , but we felt we needed players ready s to play already," said the former United coach.
Finally, he also referred to the new signing made by Bayern Munich. Manchester United was interested in Englishman Harry Kane, but due to financial issues, they could not finalize the purchase. "As for Kane, I would have signed him without hesitation, but according to what I was told, he wanted to come, but the club didn't have enough money due to the financial problems caused by the pandemic," added Solskjaer.
Why didn't Cristiano Ronaldo shine again at Manchester United?
In a recent interview with The Athletic, Solskjaer reflected on Cristiano Ronaldo's return to Manchester United and the reasons that led to his unexpected departure from the club. The Norwegian commented: "It was a very difficult decision to reject, but we felt it was necessary at that time, although it turned out to be a bad choice."
Solskjaer highlighted how Ronaldo reintegrated into the team successfully, recalling his impressive performance in the match against Newcastle, where he scored two goals in a 4-1 victory, generating great excitement both in the player and the fans. He stated that Ronaldo remained one of the best goal scorers in the world and looked in good physical shape.
The former Manchester United coach continued explaining that in a team, it is essential that all players go in the same direction, and he suggested that during that problematic period, certain internal conflicts and ego differences in the dressing room manifested, which contributed to the team's poor results.
Cristiano Ronaldo's return to United during the summer transfer market of 2021 generated great enthusiasm and expectation among the 'Red Devils' fans worldwide. However, Ronaldo's surprising transfer to Saudi Arabian football marked an unexpected destiny for one of the most legendary players in the history of football.
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