Erling Haaland not interested in Man Utd transfer due to Leeds roots but would be ‘good fit’ at Liverpool, says Fjortoft
ERLING HAALAND is not interested in a move to Manchester United but could be a “good fit” for Liverpool, according to his mentor Jan Age Fjortoft. The Norwegian superstar left RB Salzburg for Borussia Dortmund in January despite being courted by the Red Devils. Ex-Norwegian international Fjortoft, who played with Haaland‘s father Alf Inge, suggested […]
ERLING HAALAND is not interested in a move to Manchester United but could be a “good fit” for Liverpool, according to his mentor Jan Age Fjortoft.
The Norwegian superstar left RB Salzburg for Borussia Dortmund in January despite being courted by the Red Devils.
Ex-Norwegian international Fjortoft, who played with Haaland‘s father Alf Inge, suggested the 19-year-old is not interested in joining Manchester United because he has his heart set on playing at Elland Road for rivals Leeds United.
Haaland was born in the city during his dad’s Yorkshire stint and could have played for England before opting for Norway.
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Fjortoft told the Blood Red Podcast: “He would be a good fit for any club and for Liverpool he is good – when he speaks about United, he speaks about Leeds United.
“I think he’ll end up in England at some stage, but he is 19 and we should make space to have five games without scoring.
“We should just wait and see how he is doing – he is at the right place now.”
Haaland senior made 74 Premier League appearances for Leeds between 1997 and 2000 and it would be a massive coup for The Whites if they could convince his son to follow suit in the future.
The 19-year-old has been in sensational form this season, bagging 41 goals in all competitions and he could be tempted to join champions elect Liverpool down the line.
He has already shown his potential employers what he can do by netting at Anfield off the bench for Salzburg in a 4-3 Champions League defeat in September.
Fjortoft added: “The first time I saw him live was at Anfield when he came on and I was amazed that this young kid created so much space.
“He scored one goal but he could have had three or four – he was unbelievable. I was amazed how he created space and how I define that is how his runs are wise and experienced.”
Countryman Ole Gunnar Solskjaer pushed hard to get Haaland to Old Trafford but he chose Dortmund after a number of top clubs met his £17.1million release clause.
Solskjaer had a face-to-face meeting with Haaland before suggesting the Norwegian wonderkid “knows what he wants to do and what he’s going to do”.
Haaland explained why he chose Dortmund: “I liked how they spoke to me then and that’s what triggered me [to sign]. I just felt that me and Dortmund was a good match.”
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He told The Telegraph: “They spoke to him the most. Everybody had the chance to talk to him in person.
“We let that happen especially when he knows Ole. Clearly he felt that at this moment it was not the right step in his career.
“If he wanted to go to Manchester United I would have been obliged to take him to Manchester United, but he did not.”