“We would’ve done well with him” - Solskjaer insists Manchester United should have signed Arsenal star while he was manager

Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær has claimed that he wanted to sign Arsenal star Declan Rice for the Red Devils. He believes that the Englishman would have improved the side and the club held discussions to sign him from West Ham United.

Speaking on the Stick To Football podcast, the former Manchester United striker heaped praise on the Arsenal star and claimed that he would have added the legs the Red Devils needed in the midfield. He said:

"Yeah, I really, really like him as a player. We discussed him a few times. I think we would've done well with him in midfield. I think his legs, covering the pitch, I think he improved a lot on his playmaking as well."

Gary Neville also praised the Arsenal star and added that his former club should have signed him even if it cost them a lot of money. He said:

"Yeah! Obviously, he would've cost some money, but we could've and should've gone for him."

Declan Rice was linked with Chelsea and Manchester United before he joined Arsenal for £105 million in the 2023 summer window. Manchester City also reportedly tried to sign him with a £90 million bid, while Bayern Munich were also said to be interested in the midfielder.

Manchester United were urged to sign Declan Rice in swap deal by Stan Collymore

Football pundit Stan Collymore had urged Manchester United to sign Declan Rice from West Ham United before he moved to Arsenal. He believed that the Red Devils would be the ideal club for the Englishman and wrote in his CaughtOffside column:

"He's obviously in demand and is likely to be at the centre of a summer battle but I actually think going to ManUtd would be the best move for Declan Rice. Rice is the exact type of midfielder they've been crying out for, for years. He's powerful, dynamic and can run box-to-box for days."

He added:

"Although the Red Devils probably wouldn't want to splash £120m on one midfielder, especially when we all know how much Erik Ten Hag wants a new striker, I can definitely see a situation where they offer some money and a player. I think including Scott McTominay in an offer would be quite appealing to West Ham."

West Ham United were reportedly interested in Scott McTominay, who they saw as the ideal replacement for Decan Rice. However, they failed to convince the Scotsman to make the move to London.