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:
Manchester City have revealed their stance on Premier League admission for next season, announcing a price freeze on season cards and game-by-game tickets.
Regular match-going Blues will be buzzing to hear that the cost of going to the ground won’t be increasing as expected after all, with the East Manchester side delighting supporters with news of a ticket freeze on all domestic league games for the 2025/26 campaign.
Although this season has been an up-and-down one for the recent Treble winners and record-breaking four-time consecutive Premier League champions, this will come as a nice surprise.
For context, Man City season ticket prices have gone up almost every year bar 2020 – when football was being played behind closed doors during the pandemic – for the past half a decade.
Ticketing Update:
We can confirm that general admission season ticket and Premier League match-by-match ticket prices will be frozen for the 2025/26 season.
Confirming the decision in a brief statement shared on the club website and social media channels, City said that the outcome arrives following “the latest consultation meeting with its elected fan engagement programme, City Matters”.
“The Club would like to thank City Matters representatives for the feedback they provide on a range of topics relating to ticketing, and for sharing a broad range of perspectives from the fans they represent”, the statement continues.
“The Club and City Matters will continue their ongoing discussions and consultations throughout the coming months around the evolution of the fan experience on matchday in the redeveloped and expanded Etihad Stadium.”
In terms of the stadium expansion, not only do the ongoing works include increasing the fan capacity to more than 60,000, but they will also be accompanied by a new sky bar, roof walk and on-site hotel.
The official hotelier partners for ‘The Medlock’ were recently revealed too, which could prove to be a game-changer for making the Etihad Campus the ‘year-round entertainment destination’ they’ve been dreaming of.
No doubt, all-in-one ticket prices for Man City matches and hotel stay packages will be introduced too.
While a season ticket freeze is no doubt a good thing, the news has been met with a somewhat measured response by most fans, with one responding in the comments below: “That’s a good start, now let’s reduce them.”
Popular fan podcast The City Ramble went on to add: “A step in the right direction now time to make tickets more affordable for everyone.”
Moreover, it’s also worth noting that this decision to freeze season tickets and general matchday admission only relates to the Premier League; Manchester City has yet to detail the prices for 25/26 cup games and European fixtures.
The lowest possible season ticket price at the Etihad Stadium currently is around £540 in the Family Stand/Colin Bell Stand/South Stand pitchside, with single match tickets starting from roughly £30 for juniors and approximately £58 for standard adults.
On the other hand, while averages range close to £800-900, the top end touch four figures and some single matchday tickets push the £75 mark.
Sale Sharks have confirmed yet another new signing, and this one happens to come from a noteworthy sporting pedigree, as he’s actually the son of beloved British sports presenter and ex-athlete Gabby Logan.
And if you know your stuff, you’ll know that this also makes him the grandchild of Leeds footballer and Wales international Terry Yorath. Quite the professional little family tree, eh?
That’s right, the former rhythmic gymnast household name’s teenage son, Reuben Logan, is the latest acquisition by the local rubgy union side who have been busy lining things up for the next campaign.
Still just 19, he’ll join Sale Sharks at the start of next season.
𝙒𝙀𝙇𝘾𝙊𝙈𝙀, 𝙍𝙀𝙐𝘽𝙀𝙉
We are delighted to announce Reuben Logan will be heading up North for the 25/26 season!
Confirmed on Tuesday, 8 April, Reuben Logan – still just 19 years old – joins from Northampton Saints after having already impressed as a union youngster and on the international front too.
While he has represented England at youth level, he has since switched allegiances and is currently considered one of the hottest prospects in the Scotland U20s.
Coming through the ranks of Midlands Central Academy, he enjoyed his junior minutes at Wasps RFC before they ultimately fell into administration back in 2022.
Now heading for Greater Manchester ahead of the 2025/26 Gallagher Premiership, he’s the latest to join the squad following the arrival of other talents like Raffi Quirke and more, including one rather large figure indeed.
His mum, Gabby – a recognisable face on BBC Sport for nearly two decades now – did kind of get ahead of herself and let the news slip in a recent interview.
We’ll let her off, though, as she had some lovely things to say about our region and spends plenty of time over in MediaCity already.
“Sale have a young squad and I know a lot of the lads from playing international rugby. I know they’re all getting chances to play in the first team and that’s really exciting for me.
“I’m a physical ball carrier with the ability to create space and get the team on the front foot, and I think my style suits the team really well.”
As for gaffer Alex Sanderson, he went on to recognise his undeniable physical attributes, adding: “He’s 120kg and he’s a physical specimen, but he used to be a winger so he’s got wicked feet too. He can add to our game in terms of our power, and we can help him develop his skills and his game.”
Danny Jones -
6th March 2024 
