Former Manchester United defender Paul Parker has firmly stated his opposition to the potential signing of Erling Haaland to Old Trafford. Talks surrounding the star striker's future have intensified following Manchester City's verdict on 114 financial rule violations.
If the appeal by the City hierarchy is rejected, the club faces serious sanctions including hefty fines, point deductions, and even expulsion from the Premier League. Such a scenario could prompt top players to consider a move elsewhere, with both Real Madrid and Barcelona monitoring Haaland’s situation closely after he netted an impressive 172 goals in 207 appearances for the Manchester club.
However, Parker believes his former team should steer clear of the Norwegian hitman:
“It’s probably unrealistic, but I wouldn’t take Haaland at Manchester United,” the pundit remarked in an interview with PariuriX.com. “I wouldn’t want to see him in a club with the style of play that he displays. I’d say ‘no’ to him. It’s an obvious choice for everyone else, but not for me. I’m not interested in him at all.”
Instead of Haaland, Parker suggested looking at other players to strengthen the squad:
“I would keep an eye on Nico O’Riley and Marc Guehi. Nico O’Riley is a fantastic player. Elliot Anderson doesn’t interest me at all. Marc Guehi isn’t the player he used to be at Crystal Palace, but Manchester United need to sort out their back four, and he’s someone I would consider.”
A historical mistake for Manchester United
The Manchester United hierarchy previously had a chance to sign Haaland at a modest price. Former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer recalled how he advised the club to bring in the forward when he was still working with him at Molde:
“I coached him at Molde for two seasons. The summer before I arrived here, I called the club and said: ‘You have to sign this guy. He will be a top-class player.’ This was in June or July 2018, and they turned me down. They had enough reports on players. Then I became interim manager, and we sold Haaland to RB Salzburg. I immediately told the club to buy him while he had a buyout clause. We knew about this then, and nobody else would have paid that money—20 million euros, it would have been a real bargain. But the hierarchy made the decision not to go for it.”
