Man United transfer target Erling Haaland, 20, has turned in a scintillating performance scoring 33 goals in 31 appearances for Borussia Dortmund this season across all competitions, chipping in with a further eight assists.
Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer recalls the time when he was managing Erling Haaland as a young forward at Molde, saying he suffered badly with his knees then, but said that despite this physical setback, the manager said he always knew his young compatriot had the potential to reach the top because of his second-to-none personality.
Haaland, 20, will have a release clause of £64million in 2022, but the Norwegian is expected to be the subject of an intense bidding war in this summer transfer window with Manchester United among the many clubs keenly-linked with Haaland’s signature, and Solskjaer recently recalled what it was like to manage the striker at Molde.
“He came as a 16-year-old, of course, you never know with injuries, he struggled really badly with bad knees when he came. But I could see someone with a personality.
“I remember him brushing off and putting our centre-back and centre midfielders, two big, massive lads, he put them on the floor and asked them to get up. He’s a winner.
“He’s got a great personality, of course. He’s proving to everyone how good a player he is.
“We played against Zenit in the Europa League play-off and the referee came to me after and said, ‘He’ll play in the Champions League soon.’ We did know.
“He’s a top personality. I played with Alf [Haaland’s father], he’s a bit old school in that respect. He’s a winner.”