Man Utd blocked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer signing Arsenal star and Man City striker | Football

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wanted Man Utd to sign Declan Rice before his move to Arsenal (Picture: Getty)

Manchester United blocked former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer from signing Declan Rice and Erling Haaland, based on reports.

Solskjaer, in control of United from 2018 to 2021, desired to bring each players to the club before they joined Arsenal and Manchester City.

Rice has established himself as top-of-the-line midfielders on the planet since Arsenal paid West Ham £105m for the England international in 2023.

Haaland, meanwhile, has shined for City with the striker scoring 147 goals in 168 games since his £51.2m arrival from Borussia Dortmund in 2022.

It is known Solskjaer told the United hierarchy to make moves for Rice and Haaland, in addition to for Jude Bellingham, but his wish was not granted.

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That’s based on the Each day Mail as United ended up signing Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Donny van de Beek as a substitute.

Ronaldo’s second spell at Old Trafford was turbulent while Van de Beek massively flopped and Sancho has also did not live as much as expectations.

Manchester City v Bournemouth - Premier League
Erling Haaland was one other player Ole Gunnar Solskjaer desired to sign (Picture: Getty)

United signed Van de Beek from Ajax in a £40m deal however the midfielder only played 62 games in a five-year spell – scoring two goals and providing two assists – and was loaned out twice before being sold to Girona.

The Red Devils splashed out £73m to recruit Sancho from Dortmund with the winger currently out on loan at Aston Villa after failing to impress.

Last month, Solskjaer opened up about Sancho’s struggles at United on The Overlap.

Manchester United's Norwegian manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reacts during the English Premier League football match between Watford and Manchester United at Vicarage Road Stadium in Watford, southeast England, on November 20, 2021. - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by Ian KINGTON / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by IAN KINGTON/AFP via Getty Images)
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was Man Utd boss from 2018 to 2021 (Picture: AFP/Getty)

‘We desired to take the following step, not move away from what we had, but add something different,’ Solskjaer said when asked in regards to the decision to sign Sancho.

‘In the ultimate third, we wanted players who could break teams down, and Jadon, along with his skill, link-up play, and little passes across the box, gave us that.

‘He was unlucky, though. Before he joined, he went on holiday, as you do, and ended up getting an ear infection.

‘He was in hospital and really struggled for his first 10 days or so before he could even start training with us. That hasn’t really come out before.

‘So, yeah, I never really got to play with him properly, because by the point he was finding form again, I used to be already on my way out.’

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