Manchester United-linked Erling Braut Haaland praises Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, talks up Premier League move

Erling Braut Haaland

Red Bull Salzburg striker Erling Braut Haaland has hinted that he would be open to joining Manchester United in the future.

The Norway international has become one of the most talked-about prospects in European football after his sensational start to the season.

Haaland made headlines when he scored nine goals in his country’s 12-0 victory over Honduras at the Under-20 World Cup this summer.

And he has continued in a similar vein at club level, finding the net 17 times in 10 appearances for Salzburg at the start of 2019/20.

That haul includes a hat-trick in last week’s 6-2 thrashing of Genk in what was both the 19-year-old and Salzburg’s first ever outing in the Champions League group stage.

Haaland has already been linked with a host of major clubs around Europe, but he has suggested that the Premier League is his most likely destination.

And Manchester United will hope that his relationship with compatriot Solskjaer, who managed the striker at Molde, will give them an advantage in the race for the teenager’s signature.

"He [Solskjaer] has had a huge impact on my life – both as a person and as a coach," Haaland told TV2. "He won the Champions League and was an incredibly good player.

"He has taught me a lot. Solskjaer is a fantastic person and a very good coach. He is one of the reasons I am here today.

"I have dreamed of playing for the best clubs in the world my whole life, and I especially like English football.”

Haaland stands at 6ft 3in and has been likened to former United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic because of his physical presence and technique.

It is a comparison the Salzburg centre-forward welcomes, with Haaland quick to praise the former Sweden international.

“There is something about the way he became good and the way he plays,” he added.

“For me, Zlatan is the best. He is from Scandinavia, so someone has to take over for him.”

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Greg Lea

Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).

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