Erling Haaland has proven to be the scourge of Manchester United ever since his transfer to the Premier League and Paul Pogba might have something to answer for as a result.
The Norwegian hitman has scored five goals in just four appearances against the Red Devils as a Manchester City player. To make matters worse, he played a pivotal role as City matched United’s historic treble achievement under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola last season.
The Red Devils’ failure to secure Haaland’s signature then will be a constant form of frustration, and the club’s record signing Paul Pogba inadvertently preventing a mega money switch to Old Trafford. During Haaland’s time at German giants Borussia Dortmund, United were constantly linked with a move for his services as they aimed to bolster their frontline.
Former United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was open in his admiration for his compatriot and pushed for his old club to sign the forward. Speaking earlier this year, he said: “I called United about six months before I took over and told them that I’d got this striker that we had but they didn’t listen. I asked for £4million for Haaland but they didn’t sign him.”
The reason for United’s failure to sign Haaland could lie with Pogba. For the vast majority of his career so far, the striker was represented by super agent Mino Raiola – the same as Pogba.
United’s relationship with the Italian agent was to put it lightly not the best and it all came to a head during Pogba’s time at Old Trafford. Raiola was regularly forced to defend the midfielder during his second stint at the club.
A particularly explosive meeting between legendary former boss Sir Alex Ferguson and Raiola left a strong impression on the latter’s colleague Rafaela Pimenta. Speaking earlier this month, she revealed: “I cannot call that a meeting. I call it a train crash.
“It started bad, it ended bad. Sir Alex came in and he was so angry that he hit the table and our tea spilled everywhere. He was totally red. Mino was totally angry. It was a disaster.”
It was then suggested that the ongoing spat between Raiola and the Red Devils caused the club not to go back into negotiations with the agent regarding a move for Haaland, with Dortmund swooping in instead. He immediately displayed his goalscoring ability at the Westfalenstadion.
He netted 86 goals in 89 outings for the German giants before Man City swooped for his services. Of course, Pogba is not solely to blame for the Red Devils’ failure to sign Haaland.
The striker has regularly admitted to his allegiance to City – starting as a child. Explaining what led to his move to the Etihad, he said: “First of all, my father, a little bit.
“I was born in England. I have been a City fan my whole life. I know a lot about the club. In the end, [deciding to sign was down to] two things. I feel at home here and I feel I can develop and get the best out of my game at City.
“I like the style (of play). I like the attacking football. I like the positive vibe we have when City play football. This is what I like a lot, so I think it’s a good fit.”
