The inside story of Manchester United's failed pursuit of Erling Haaland after £51m Man City transfer

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would lead extra finishing drills for Erling Haaland after regular training had finished during their two years together at Molde FK. Haaland was the worst kept secret in a small coastal town with a population below 30,000.

In a parallel universe somewhere, Solskjaer has rekindled his relationship with Haaland and the pair are working on his finishing at Carrington just after first-team training. Solskjaer has just overseen his second full season in charge of Manchester United as permanent manager and the club have just signed Haaland from Borussia Dortmund after activating his £51m release clause.

In reality, Solskjaer was sacked in October, United have endured their worst season in over three decades and Haaland has just joined rivals Manchester City. It was thought this season couldn't get any worse for United, but the official announcement of Haaland's arrival at the Etihad on Tuesday afternoon felt like another nail in the coffin. Haaland is the world's most exciting centre-forward.

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It took Haaland just a few years to get there but it all started with Solskjaer at Molde, which is something the former United boss thought would give him an advantage in signing the youngster. That was made redundant by Solskjaer losing his job.

Molde signed Haaland in February 2017 and it didn't take long for the striker to build a burgeoning reputation. Haaland, aged just 16 when arriving at Molde, already towered above his peers at 6ft 2in but his physique was yet to develop. That didn't stop him from making an instant impression under Solskjaer and scoring a matchwinner on his debut in the Eliteserien in