DBasia.news – It’s no secret that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has a great service in advancing Erling Haaland’s career. The way the Manchester United manager turned the player into a goal-hungry predator has finally come to light.
Solskjaer’s cold hand began to be recognized after bringing Manchester United to perform brilliantly in the 2020-2021 season. Praise was even conveyed by Paul Pogba who considered the Norwegian national player to be better than Jose Mourinho in terms of his approach to players.
Now, the confirmation of Solskjaer’s prowess in approaching players has been leaked by Norwegian journalist Arilas Ouuld-Sada. He gave an example of a case of rapid development in Haaland’s career.
Solskjaer was in his second spell at Molde when Haaland arrived on the last day of the 2017 winter transfer window. At that time the striker was only 16 years old.
Haaland was brought in from his hometown club, Bryne. He played in Molde’s reserve team before being promoted to the first team in mid-2017.
Ouuld-Sada remembers a moment when Molde visited the Viking headquarters in September 2017. At that time Haaland contributed one goal and led his team to win 3-2.
But Haaland had angered Viking supporters because of his excessive celebrations. The attacker’s background as a former Bryne player with the status of a Viking city rival has only added to the polemic.
However, Solskjaer immediately responded to this controversy. This gesture certainly helped Haaland who was only 17 years old at the time.
“Erling was in the midst of controversy as he celebrated his goal by silencing Viking fans (rivals of Haaland hometown club Bryne). While others criticized his attitude, Solskjær defended him in public,” said Ouuld-Sada.
“After the match, Solskjaer put his arm around his shoulder and had a long chat with Haaland.
He admits his players were doing well but are focused on the opportunities Haaland missed. “
In his first season with Molde, Haaland scored a total of two goals in 14 appearances in the Norwegian League. This amount is considered good because he only appeared three times as a starter.
Solskjaer began to give Haaland more roles. Unfortunately, Alf-Inge Haaland’s son’s performance faded at the start of the competition.
Turning point
Haaland was only able to score two goals in the first 12 games of the 2018 season. This record is bad enough for someone who is the main striker.
Solskjaer also held a one-on-one conversation with his team ahead of his next match against Brann. I don’t know what was said, Haaland was able to score four goals in that match.
“The day before the Brann game, Solskjaer took him aside after training and had a long discussion with him. He clearly conveyed his message because after that his career improved,” added Ouuld-Sada.
Since then Haaland’s productivity started to increase significantly. He was then brought in by Red Bull Salzburg before moving to Borussia Dortmund in January last year.