Erling Haaland Says It's 'Always Nice' to Be Wanted, Talks Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland has said it is flattering for other clubs to be interested in him.

The 19-year-old also praised Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for the impact he has had on his career.

Speaking to FourFourTwo (h/t Goal's Chris Burton), Haaland was asked about the interest shown in him by United and Real Madrid.

"It's always nice when clubs are interested," he said. "It means you've done something right."

Haaland scored 20 goals in 50 games while playing under Solskjaer at Molde in their native Norway before the coach left to replace Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford in December 2018.

"I arrived at Molde as a young kid, and he helped me a lot," Haaland said. "He was a good finisher and helped me with striking skills and different finishing methods. He's been important in my career."

The teenager also revealed his admiration for Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic:

Ibrahimovic, 38, has scored 459 goals in 750 games at club level since he left Malmo as a youngster in 2001, having played for Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United and L.A. Galaxy.

Despite his age, Haaland is already at his fourth club. He joined Molde in 2017 from his hometown club Bryne, and he left Molde for Red Bull Salzburg in January last year.

A sensational record of 29 goals and seven assists in 27 matches for Salzburg caught the attention of the rest of Europe, and he was snapped up by Dortmund in January.

He's enjoyed an incredible start with BVB, notching 12 goals in nine games to take his overall tally to 40 in all competitions for the season in just 31 games. He's averaged a goal every 51 minutes he's played this season and also laid on eight assists along the way.

Haaland has plundered 10 goals in the UEFA Champions League, including this superb effort for Dortmund as part of a brace he scored against PSG in the first leg of their last-16 tie (U.S., UK only respectively):

His rise has been so incredible that he wouldn't look out of place at Old Trafford or the Santiago Bernabeu.

United signed Odion Ighalo on loan in January after an injury to Marcus Rashford left them with Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood as their only forward options for the immediate future. The Red Devils have failed to find the net 12 times in all competitions this season, so they could have benefited enormously from recruiting a player as prolific as Haaland has been.

As for Real, the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus in 2018 can still be felt. Ronaldo scored 450 goals in nine years at Madrid, an average of exactly 50 per season.

Dortmund signed Haaland by meeting his €22.5 million (£19.6 million) release clause, but his value will have rocketed for any suitors hoping to lure him away from Germany in the coming years.