Ed Woodward's Defense of Man Utd's Failed Attempts to Sign Haaland and Bellingham

Manchester United showed keen interest in acquiring both Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham before they were signed by their current teams. Former manager at Old Trafford, Ed Woodward, has explained the reasons behind the failure of both footballers to join Manchester United.

Haaland became famous during the first half of the 2019/20 season while playing for Red Bull Salzburg, before he was signed by Borussia Dortmund during the January transfer window of the same campaign.

Around the same period, Bellingham, at the tender age of 16, was making a name for himself playing for Birmingham in the Championship. Like Haaland, he later joined Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2020.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who was managing United in that year, had expressed a desire to sign both players, as well as Declan Rice. However, the club was unable to secure any of the three, who were highly recommended by the Norwegian manager.

According to one of Solskjaer's former teammates who spoke to ESPN, "Ole wanted to bring down the age of the squad, so he identified three young players and told the club they should prioritise signing them. United messed up moves for Haaland and Bellingham and didn't even make an effort for Rice. But they did sign Donny van de Beek, despite him not even being a player that Ole had identified as a target."

In response to an ESPN enquiry, Woodward, who was United's executive vice-chairman till 2022, stated that United could not guarantee Bellingham the 'minutes' he was assured at Dortmund. He also expressed the belief that Haaland was bound to join Manchester City, where his father, Alf Inge, had played. However, City didn't get the striker until 2022.

Reports at the time indicated that United was not willing to consent to the release clause demands made by Haaland's representatives. Like Bellingham, Haaland was also assured of more immediate involvement at Dortmund.

Bellingham got a personal tour of United's training ground in March 2020. Sir Alex Ferguson even met personally with the then teenager and his family. In contrast, Haaland had a past connection with United, having played under Solskjaer in Molde.

Woodward's tenure at United is generally viewed as unsuccessful. He was considered more as an extension of the Glazer family based in the UK with limited knowledge or experience in football business, a period that coincided with the club's steady decline since 2013.

With the departure of Richard Arnold, seen as another ally of the Glazer family, and the arrival of Omar Berrada, formerly with City Football Group, there is hope for a positive change. This is largely due to the influence of the new INEOS contingent led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe.