Manchester United have been known to miss out on plenty of top talents over the years, instead opting for plenty of flops.
This was even more apparent during the reign of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who was always so close to achieving success as manager of the Red Devils.
In truth, the current United squad that Erik ten Hag is working with this season is still very much a Solskjaer team.
However, had things panned out differently, the Dutch boss could have been coaching Erling Haaland rather than figuring out how to stop him, as well as one individual who has gone on to become absolutely elite.
When Man Utd tried to sign Haaland and one other star
This week, the Norwegian boss appeared as a guest on The Overlap podcast with Gary Neville and Co, where he gave an 80-minute interview talking about his time as Man United manager.
During the video, Solskjaer gave some interesting insight on the club, from Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to players they missed out on, with Haaland and one other gem being the standouts.
He said the following regarding the Manchester City striker: “The summer before I got here (Man United), I rang the club and said: 'You've got to sign this boy. He’ll be top class."
United clearly didn’t follow the advice of the former player, with Solskjaer confirming that it was the club’s decision to not go for arguably the best centre-forward in the world, not his.
The other player who United very nearly signed was none other than Jude Bellingham, who was even at Old Trafford before turning down a move. Solskjaer went on to say:
“Jude wanted a certain amount of minutes in the first team. He was 17 at the time… and he was the most mature 17-year-old I’ve ever met, he had it all planned out.”
Instead, the Birmingham City icon opted for a move to the Bundesliga, where he developed into the player he is today at Borussia Dortmund, alongside Haaland.
What makes Jude Bellingham so special
The England international didn’t only develop in Germany; he became one of the most promising talents in world football.
During his spell at BVB, Bellingham played 132 matches in all competitions, registering 24 goals and 25 assists from central midfield, but this season he’s gone to an entirely new level.
In the summer, the 20-year-old moved to Real Madrid in a deal worth £88m and it’s fair to say that he’s excelled even further, with Joleon Lescott calling Bellingham “the best player in the world.”
The number five has completely dominated La Liga and the Champions League at Los Blancos, scoring 20 goals and providing seven assists in just 28 matches, which is absolutely unbelievable for a midfielder by trade.
Goals
0.77
Top 1%
Goals/shot
0.29
Top 1%
Passes completed
50.37
Top 3%
Passes into final third
5.11
Top 3%
Progressive passes
7.42
Top 5%
Touches
71.34
Top 3%
Interceptions
0.92
Top 7%
Tackles won
1.25
Top 20%
As you can see by his FBref La Liga scouting report comparing him to his positional peers, Bellingham is among the most elite, and he simply does everything on the field.
The statistics really do speak for themselves, and as he is so well-rounded, it really highlights how influential he is at Madrid. However, it’s his maturity, winning mentality, and professionalism that separates him from the rest, which Solskjaer alluded to during his interview.
To now know how close United were to signing both Haaland and Bellingham will haunt the Red Devils faithful for years to come, especially as they are two of the best players in the world at this moment.