Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United in 2022. (Photo by Martin Rickett/PA Wire)placeholder image
Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United in 2022. (Photo by Martin Rickett/PA Wire)
Cristiano Ronaldo joined Man United in 2021, but manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wanted the Red Devils to sign 3 world-class players instead.
Man United have certainly had their fair share of poor transfer moves over the past 10 years, as the Red Devils have been one of the biggest spenders in the Premier League, but it has hardly translated to success.
It always brings the question of what could have been for United, as if they spent the same amount of money on the right players, we could be looking at a team as dominant as the golden years under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Perhaps the biggest missed opportunity came during Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s tenure in charge of United, as the Red Devils spent big on the likes of Jadon Sancho, Donny Van de Beek, and the 36-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo, but consider what they could have had...
Solskjaer wanted Haaland, Rice and Bellingham
In what has to be one of the most frustrating things to read as a Man United fan, it has been revealed that Solskjaer didn’t want to sign Ronaldo, Sancho and Van de Beek; instead, he wanted three players who could each be considered as the best in the world right now.
At the time, Rice was still at West Ham, and he was already a world-class midfielder, just looking for that next move. Solskjaer wanted to sign him two years before he moved to Arsenal, meaning that United could have got him for much less than the Gunners paid for him (£105m). Consider as well the fact that United now find themselves wanting to spend £100m on Nottingham Forest star Elliot Anderson.
In terms of Bellingham, he was at Borussia Dortmund at the time, and would have likely cost around £50m, rather than the £112m that Real Madrid paid for him in 2023; imagine the midfield that United could have had with Rice alongside Bellingham.
Man United could have had Erling Haaland
The one that perhaps stings the most for United fans is the fact that Solskjaer wanted to sign Erling Haaland, who, of course, has become a club legend for Manchester City and is perhaps one of the best pure goal scorers the Premier League has ever seen.
At the time when Solskjaer was at United, Haaland was at Borussia Dortmund, and already had the interest from rivals Manchester City. Pep Guardiola famously signed Haaland for just £51m, because of his release clause at Dortmund. Even at that stage, he was worth a lot more, so City were able to get a bargain.
If United had signed him the year before, like Solskjaer wanted, they could have got Haaland for less than £50m.
The rest of the story doesn’t need telling. The Norway international has become the fastest player in Premier League history to reach 100 league goals, as he has done it in 111 games for Manchester City. An incredible opportunity missed for United.
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