Gary Neville has finally managed to get Ole Gunnar Solskjær on The Overlap and the Manchester United legend turned manager has finally shed some light on just how close he came to singing the likes of Jude Bellingham, Erling Haaland and Declan Rice.
Appearing alongside Stick To Football regular and former teammate Roy Keane as well, Solskjær arguably one of the biggest looks behind the curtain since he was sacked from Man United back in 2021, detailing everything from the state of the dressing room to how he fit into the hierarchy around the club.
Perhaps most interestingly, the one-time ‘baby-faced assassin’ also spoke on his attempts to bring Premier League stars Haaland and Rice to Old Trafford, as well as another one of England and Europe’s most exciting talents: a then-teenaged Jude Bellingham, now shining at Real Madrid.
Explaining the player recruitment set-up in more detail than most Reds will have ever heard before, Ole insisted that while he was consulted and did get to say ‘yes or no’ from a list of players, he did bring all three of these names to the table but they didn’t work out for one reason or another.
🇳🇴 Stick to Football: Solskjaer 🇳🇴
🔴 Manchester United Exit 👀 Haaland, Bellingham, Rice ✍️ Signing Cristiano Ronaldo 🏆 Winning The Treble
The episode is available now on YouTube and all major podcast platforms!
Ole talks Rice, Bellingham, Haaland, the Ronaldo deal and more on Stick To Football.
Starting with Rice before he went to Arsenal, he said that although it “would’ve cost some money, we could and should’ve gone for him” at the time, as well as going on to reveal that they managed to get Bellingham in the building to meet legends like Sir Alex, Cantona and Bryan Robson.
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However, while he insisted that they tried to sell him the project as best they could, he said that even at his age “he knew what he wanted: x amount of minutes in the first team… he had it planned out”, adding that he was “the most mature 17-year-old I’ve ever met in my life”.
As for the matter of his fellow countryman Haaland, who he had already managed back home in Molde as a youngster, Solskjær said that after roughly two seasons of coaching him he “rang the club and said, ‘You’ve got to sign this boy’, he’ll be absolutely top class”.
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Unfortunately, United didn’t see fit to take a chance on his recommendation even after he became manager, passing up the opportunity of signing him for just a £20 million release clause and then again for £60m after he started scoring for Salzburg. As fellow ex-pro and panellist Jill Scott put it: “Bargain”.
🇳🇴🗣️ Ole Gunnar Solskjær: "I had Haaland in Molde, for two seasons. The summer before I got here (to Man United), I rang the club and said: you've got to sign this boy. He’ll be top class."
"That was June, July 2018, and they said no. They had enough reports on players. Then I… pic.twitter.com/QM6XVqE7Iy
Ole also went on to discuss the process of bringing Cristiano Ronaldo back to Old Trafford, which despite claiming was “the right decision at the time” he admits “didn’t work out” for either of them, citing complaints when he wasn’t played as the wider impact on their desired playing style overall.
Beyond that, the 51-year-old reflected on players passing up the captaincy for certain games during his tenure, taking time away from management after being at United, his own playing career and how Erik ten Hag is fairing at present and more in the lengthy chat.
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You can watch Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s episode of Stick To Football in full down below:
Erling Haaland has named his four favourite films… and fans have a lot to say on it
Emily Sergeant
Erling Haaland has answered the all-important question.
The question heard around the world, the question on everyone’s lips, a question that has absolutely nothing to do with football whatsoever… that’s right, he’s answered Letterboxd’s famous question of ‘what are your four favourite films?’.
If you’re unaware of what Letterboxd is, it describes itself as being an ‘online diary platform and app for film lovers’ and it gives users the chance to display their four favourite films at the top of their profile for all to see (and judge).
An extension of this has then been Letterboxd asking celebrities in press junket interviews and on red carpets what their ‘four faves’ are – and it’s gone on to become something of a phenomenon in the film world.
Everyone from massive A-list movie stars, to indie darlings and up-and-coming names have answered this question before, and now (it appears) to be Erling Haaland’s turn.
He’s not the first footballer to be tasked with question though, as the entire Spurs team was ambushed with it by former player – and famously massive cinephile – Alfie Whiteman last year, but it’s fair to say that after the summer he’s had with Norway at the World Cup, achieving international fame in the process, that Haaland is one of the most high-profile to answer it in a long while.
So, what’s on Erling’s list then?
Well, to self-confessed ‘film bros’ out there, you’re not going to find any deep cuts in this selection unfortunately, and you’re probably not going to get any recommendations for movies you haven’t seen before either, but come on, he is only a footballer after all.
Erling Haaland has named his four favourite films… and fans have a lot to say on it / Credit: Letterboxd
First up for the Manchester City striker is a pretty common pick by straight white men, it’s The Wolf of Wall Street, and he doesn’t give much of a reason for it, other than just suggesting: “I think you understand why”.
He then follows that up with Ridley Scott’s classic Gladiator, calling it ‘amazing’, before naming 2004’s epic Troy, and then rounding it out with a Christmas favourite for many, Home Alone, adding that he ‘watched it a lot as a kid, and then again now’.
As for fan reaction to Haaland’s four favourites, let’s just say it’s been mixed.
Among the 1,000+ comments on the Instagram video, you’ll find just as many people called him ‘king’ and saying he has ‘goated’ taste, as you will comments like this: “He has the most male gazed top four in history of Letterboxd.”
Manchester City reveal world-first third kit… designed by AI
Daisy Jackson
Manchester City have just revealed the club’s third kit for the season, and it’s a world-first AI-designed kit.
The new Man City and Puma kit was revealed in full this morning after days of teasing on billboards across Manchester.
For the first time in professional football history, the kit is designed by a fan, using AI.
180,000 fans submitted designs through the Puma AI Creator, with the winning design now projected on some of the city’s biggest digital billboards – on Market Street, and at Printworks.
Created by lifelong Cityzen and stills photographer Elliott, the final design is inspired by Manchester City’s iconic 13/14 season away shirt.
Elliott’s creative interpretation was crowned in January 2025 after a global fan vote.
The digital billboards show each different stage of the AI design process, from prompt to finished design, with the tagline ‘designed by one of us, chosen by all of us’.
The AI Man City kit reveal
Eagle-eyed Man City fans may have noticed a cryptic ‘loading’ screen in town on Tuesday, with just a hint of the shirt visible.
Then on Wednesday, the screens displayed: “AI prompt accepted. Fan vote confirmed. Final Manchester City 26/27 Third Kit design processing.”
Then the full reveal has taken place today, Thursday 27 August, finally unveiling the full shirt with the words: “Designed by one of us. Chosen by all of us”.
Reacting to live images of the billboards, Elliott said: “Seeing my complete design revealed on billboards in the city centre this morning was unbelievable.
“City has been part of our family’s life for as long as I can remember, so this is as good as it gets for me.
“Creativity is naturally part of my everyday life as a photographer, but it was good to turn my hand to something else and see what could be created with the use of AI.
“The 13/14 away shirt was always my favourite, so it felt like the natural starting point for my prompt. From there, it was amazing to see the technology take that spark of an idea and turn it into something I could actually shape and refine.
“To know that a shirt I designed on my lunch break will now be worn by the players is something I still can’t quite get my head around!”
The 26/27 Manchester City Third Kit will be available at mancity.com/shop and Manchester City Official Stores, with 10% off for Members and Seasoncard holders (automatically applied when logged in with a Member account online).
Danny Jones -
6th March 2024 
