Manchester United missed out on signing one of the best players in the world right now after missing a deadline phone call by an hour.
That is according to Bryan King, who is a senior Scandinavian scout for Premier League sides Aston Villa, Tottenham and Everton.
The Red Devils have struggled to effectively manage their business in transfer windows after the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson and ex-chief executive David Gill.
Ferguson and Gill shared a close relationship during their time at Old Trafford, with the legendary former United boss playing a key part in transfers at the club.
Following Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, United’s transfer business has often been questioned and signings have failed to live up to the expectations placed on them.
Ex-United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward would be met with fierce criticism over his behind-the-scenes work on transfers after Gill’s departure in 2013.
Former United managers David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho also shared their frustration with the club’s handling of business in transfer windows.
However, King has opened up on how United dropped the ball over one signing and how it has now come back to haunt the Red Devils over their failure to land him.
United miss out on Erling Haaland
Former United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had worked closely with Manchester City striker Erling Haaland at Norweigan side Molde and was a big admirer of him.
United were heavily linked with Haaland when Solskjaer was in charge at Old Trafford and a reunion with the ex-Molde boss appeared to be on the table.
However, Haaland moved to Red Bull Salzburg and spent one season at the club before Borussia Dortmund triggered his £17.1m buyout clause in December 2019.
King has claimed that United were in talks to sign Haaland when he was at Molde, but the Red Devils failed to make an important call before their set deadline.
“I said to Haaland’s dad that I’d love him to go over to Everton so we could have a look at him, and sure enough we managed to work it,” he told Football Insider’s The Inside Track podcast.
“He came over for three or four days and did okay, but the general opinion was that because of his size, would he be as effective?
“But Man United should definitely have signed Haaland. I know the chief Scandinavian scout at United and he worked really hard to get him over there.
“There was a mix-up at the end of the season and a lot of people were on vacation at United. They were told that they had to ring Molde at a certain time in the morning.
“The guy who was handling Haaland’s deal from Molde to Salzburg was Jim Solbakken and he has good connections with Man United. He said that if the call is not in by 10 o’clock, then Haaland will go to Salzburg.
“The people at United who made the call made it an hour late. They should have rang at nine but they rang at 10, which is 11 in Norway.
“That caused the deal not to go through!”
Haaland comes back to haunt United
Haaland enjoyed incredible success during his time at Dortmund and has since established himself as one of the best strikers in the world.
The 23-year-old Norway striker’s first season under City manager Pep Guardiola saw him score an incredible 52 times in 53 appearances across all competitions.
Haaland, who was a key part of City’s treble-winning exploits, finished second in the race for the 2023 Ballon d’Or award behind Barcelona legend Lionel Messi.
Despite missing out on the Ballon d’Or and Best FIFA Men’s Player award, Haaland scooped the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year prize after his exploits with City.
It’s not surprising to see why Solskjaer desperately wanted Haaland at Old Trafford and the Premier League club will rue the missed opportunity for a long time.
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