Erik ten Hag makes Manchester United transfer claim after Erling Haaland comments

Erik ten Hag insists the best players in the world do want to play for Manchester United — and that some of them are already plying their trade at Old Trafford.

A new documentary showing how Erling Haaland decided on his next move in the summer transfer window has revealed the Norwegian's family had seven possible clubs on his shortlist, but that did not include United. The striker eventually signed for Manchester City for £51million and has scored 14 goals in his first 10 appearances for the Blues, including scoring in his last seven appearances for the club.

United tried to sign Haaland in January 2020 when he swapped RB Salzburg for Borussia Dortmund, but when he decided to leave the Bundesliga this summer he did not consider a switch to Old Trafford.

READ MORE: United can show Haaland he was wrong about them in transfer window

In the documentary Haaland — The Big Decision, screened on Scandanavian streaming platform Viaplay, the forward mentions City, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Paris St-Germain, Liverpool, Chelsea and Barcelona as possible destinations, producing a points-based system to decide his best options.

The fact United didn't feature suggests they aren't seen as an attractive proposition at the moment. But Ten Hag disputes that theory and insists he spoke to numerous players who wanted to move to Old Trafford in the summer.

"I’m sure when I go back in the window and I was in contact with a lot of players, a lot of players, you feel Man United is a really attractive club for them. So I’m not concerned about that point," he said.

The 52-year-old also believes United already has some of the best players in the world at the club, despite enduring their worst ever Premier League season last term. He has a squad