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Erling Haaland has revealed that former Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solksjaer texted him after he completed his move to Manchester City. In his text, Solksjaer wished his compatriot “good luck”, but made it clear that the Norwegian striker had moved to the “wrong side” of Manchester.
On July 1, Manchester City formally registered Haaland as their newest signing. They paid €60 million to rope him in from Borussia Dortmund, tying him down to a five-year contract. The Norway international, who is valued at €150 million by Transfermarkt, scored a whopping 86 goals in only 89 games across competitions for Dortmund.
After signing for Manchester City, Haaland received a text from his former Molde boss Solskjaer. A devout Manchester United fan, Solskjaer cheekily teased the 21-year-old for moving to the wrong side of the city.
In a candid interview with the Manchester Evening News (MEN), Haaland revealed what the former United striker’s text message read. He said:
“When I signed with City he congratulated me and wrote to me 'Good luck on going to the wrong side of Manchester'. We talk sometimes. As you know, he had a huge impact on my career when I was at Molde. He's a good guy.”
The former Dortmund ace played 50 games under Solskjaer at Molde between 2017 and 2018, recording 20 goals and seven assists.
According to the MEN, United wanted to sign the Norway international in 2019, when Solskjaer was in charge of the club. The striker eventually rejected the Red Devils' proposal and ended up signing for Dortmund in the winter of 2020.
Erling Haaland happy with his decision to join Manchester United’s rivals Manchester City
If MEN’s claim is to be believed, the former BVB striker had the possibility of wearing Manchester United’s red at one point in time.
Instead, he left for Dortmund to eventually find his way back to Manchester, joining the Red Devils’ arch-rivals.
The Norwegian sharpshooter is happy with the decisions he has made in his career, claiming that all of them have been perfect since joining Molde in 2017. He added:
“Three years ago City didn't want me because they had [Sergio] Aguero up front so then there was no choice about coming to Man City.
“Basically, my feeling was I felt more going to the other place than coming here to England. I could have come here a lot of times in my career but I felt the other place and I think it was a really good choice. I have made perfect choices ever since I went to Molde, then Salzburg and Dortmund. I'm not complaining about that.”
Haaland enjoyed a brief one-year stay at Red Bull Salzburg after leaving Molde in January 2019. He registered 29 goals and seven assists in 27 games in all competitions for the Austrian outfit before joining Dortmund.
