Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s prediction about “very good player” comes back to bite Manchester United after terrific display

Ole Gunnar Solskjær recommended some impressive talents to Manchester United during his time in charge and even before then.

It is well documented that Ole Gunnar Solskjær tried to convince Manchester United to sign an unknown Norwegian striker called Erling Halaand several years ago.

The club didn’t listen. I wonder what happened to him?

Solskjær also pursued the likes of Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice during his time in charge at Old Trafford. At the time they had large question marks, now they are world-class midfielders.

While missing out on those kind of signings was frustrating, they also cost large amounts at the time, with Bellingham breaking records for a transfer at his age, while Rice eventually cost over £100 million.

But the more frustrating targets that United have missed are those who were very cheap for other teams and have ended up being better than the existing options at the club.

Solskjær praised very good Berge during United reign

Sander Berge was linked with a move to United for several years, dating back to Solskjær’s time at the helm. The Norwegian midfielder joined Sheffield United in 2020 and United’s boss at the time was a big fan.

As quoted by Dagavisen back in 2020, Solskjær claimed that he knew “more or less everything” about Berge after watching his rise in Norway.

“He needed some time to get used to the pace and intensity of the Premier League, but now Sheffield United see that they have signed a very good player and he is only going to get better. We know we have to follow him,” Solskjær added.

In the end, United didn’t sign the midfielder under Solskjær but were looking at him again last summer as an option to bolster depth in the engine room.

Once again, the Reds decided against signing Berge, who instead joined Fulham for around £20 million in the latest summer window.

Berge excels vs United in FA Cup clash

Berge has been an excellent player for Marco Silva’s side, who recently knocked United out of the FA Cup with the 27-year-old bossing the midfield battle against the team who passed up the opportunity to sign him multiple times.

He won 14 out of 15 duels, completed four successful tackles and made 76 out of 81 attempted passes on the night.

The Norwegian was certainly never going to be a player to take United to the next level like a Bellingham, Rice or Haaland would have.

But being a steady Premier League option for a low price is the kind of signing that United have seemingly forgotten how to do in recent years and has been a large contributor to their dramatic downfall.

It came back to bite them in their FA Cup defeat, with Berge excelling, but it seems a prominent feature in most games United play now.

Read More: “Go back to Manchester United” – Club legend rips into Rúben Amorim loanee after league loss

While the Reds have been trying to sign wonderful players for big money over recent years, their Premier League counterparts have been picking up smart deals like Berge, and closing the gap.

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