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The biggest miss by some margin is the man who joined their infamous ‘noisy neighbours’ Manchester City: Erling Haaland. In January 2020, it looked as if they could have nabbed the Norwegian talisman for just \u00a317m from Red Bull Salzburg as Solskjaer had the inside track, given that he had already coached him at Molde.<\/p>\n
But United had reservations over the \u00a351m release clause his father, Alf-Inge, wanted inserted into his contract and pulled out of the deal. Borussia Dortmund jumped to the front of the queue and got the deal over the line – and 85 goals in 89 appearances later, it proved to be United’s huge error in judgment as Haaland then clinched a move to City.<\/p>\n
The rest is history. In his debut season, Haaland broke the record for most goals in a Premier League season and helped City become the first English club to win a Treble in 24 years. United, meanwhile, finished the season with Wout Weghorst and Anthony Martial as their strikers.<\/p>\n
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DON’T MISS <\/strong> But the list goes beyond Haaland. In that same transfer window, United made a big effort to lure Jude Bellingham to Old Trafford as Europe’s elite circled around the Birmingham City trainee. At one stage, it looked as if the Red Devils had gained the upper hand after Sir Alex Ferguson showed him around Carrington, but Dortmund agreed a \u00a325m fee with Birmingham and snapped up the midfielder.<\/p>\n Three years later, Bellingham is an England regular and one of the most talented midfielders of his generation, having earned a \u00a3105m switch to Real Madrid. United could have landed him for a fraction of that fee, and spent \u00a370m on a 30-year-old Casemiro instead under Ten Hag.<\/p>\n It was a similar case with Declan Rice too, with the former West Ham captain a long-time target for United.<\/p>\n The Englishman was available for around \u00a370m when he became a West Ham regular but senior officials felt it was steep for a relatively unproven player, despite Solskjaer reportedly pressuring the Glazers to agree a deal. Now Rice partners Bellingham in the England midfield and is proving to be a masterful signing for Arsenal, having scored in the 3-1 win over United last Sunday.<\/p>\n Many more could be added to the list. Nathan Ake was a target before he joined City, as was Jack Grealish when Aston Villa were ready to cash in on the winger for \u00a360m – he later signed for their rivals in a British record \u00a3100m deal.<\/p>\n Whether or not those same players would have the identical trajectory remains to be seen, but United were denied an outstanding starting XI only due to their own decisions, leaving Solskjaer and co to imagine what could have been.<\/p>\n
Man Utd red flags raised for Hojlund transfer – \u2018Not in Haaland’s league'[LATEST] <\/strong>
Trash-talking Man Utd striker Rasmus Hojlund ‘was better than Erling Haaland'[REACTION] <\/strong>
Bellingham’s Real Madrid release clause higher than value of Man Utd’s squad[TRANSFERS] <\/strong><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/67\/590x\/secondary\/4951103.jpg?r=1694212779833\")
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