Erling Haaland watched by 50 scouts… but Man Utd boss Solskjaer is already one step ahead in transfer pursuit of Salzburg hat-trick whizzkid
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OVER 50 scouts were in attendance last night to watch hotshot Erling Haaland bag a Champions League hat-trick.
The 19-year-old RB Salzburg striker, son of ex-Manchester City star Alf-Inge, was already one of the hottest properties in Europe before his treble against Genk.
Haaland needed just two minutes to break the deadlock on Tuesday and soon added a second and third before the break to become the first teen to score more than once on his Champions League debut since Wayne Rooney against Fenerbahce 15 years ago.
That treble made him the third-youngest ever to bag a hat-trick in the competition, with only Rooney (18 years 340 days) and Real Madrid legend Raul (18 years 113 days) ahead of him.
Manchester United are just one of Europe’s big guns that have been tracking Haaland for some time.
And no doubt his exploits will have caught the eye again – especially with so many talent spotters from across the continent in attendance.
However, it could be Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who gives United the edge in the chase for the Norwegian international – despite the forward’s love of rival’s Leeds!
And the Red Devils boss certainly needs no introduction to the youngster having given him his senior debut while in charge of Molde.
It was at the Norway side that Haaland first made a name for himself, earning himself a move to the Austrian outfit in January.
But they know they will not be able to hold on to him for long if he continues in this red-hot form, and Solskjaer could be front of the queue for his old protégé.
Salzburg already reportedly rejected a bid from an unknown club for Haaland in the summer.
And when Solskjaer was previously asked last year about a proposed move, he replied: “He is probably not the world’s biggest Manchester United fan.
“But if they come to the door, there are not many who say no to that.”
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Haaland is a huge Leeds supporter after being born in the Yorkshire city while his father played for the Whites.
And he has openly admitted his dream is to fire them to Premier League glory in the future.
He said: “I want to be the best. The dream is to win the Premier League with Leeds - and to be a better player than dad.”