Manchester United's Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Says Erling Haaland 'A Fantastic Boy'

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said Borussia Dortmund "have signed a fantastic boy" after capturing striker Erling Haaland from Red Bull Salzburg. 

The Red Devils were strongly linked with the Norway international, and they were said to have an edge given Solskjaer managed Haaland when in charge at Molde.

However, Dortmund beat them to the 19-year-old, who scored 16 goals in 14 appearances in the Austrian Bundesliga and eight in six in the UEFA Champions League in the first half of the 2019-20 season:

Speaking for the first time about Haaland's move, Solskjaer praised his compatriot: "Well, Dortmund have signed a fantastic boy. I can't answer more than that."

After selling Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan in the summer, United do not have a traditional No. 9 in their squad. Marcus Rashford has stepped up well to become the club's main goalscorer and already has 12 in the Premier League this term, two better than his previous best for a whole campaign.

However, Solskjaer's Red Devils have struggled for goals. After 21 games of the 2019-20 Premier League, they have scored only 32. In only one other season in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era have United had fewer on the board at the same stage.

After 21 games of the 2015-16 season, when Louis van Gaal was in charge, United had scored just 27 goals. When Solskjaer first succeeded Jose Mourinho as United manager just over a year ago, he oversaw an upturn in goalscoring:

In his first 12 Premier League matches in charge, the Red Devils scored 29 goals at an average of just under 2.5 per game. Since, though, in 30 subsequent matches, United have scored 37 times, an average of just over 1.2 per game.

Signing Haaland could have helped solve that problem, but United will need to look elsewhere for a new frontman.