Erling Haaland Man City 2022-23Getty Images

Revealed: Haaland used points system to decide City transfer & Man Utd weren't even on list

  • Striker linked with clubs across Europe
  • Mulled over several options
  • Moved to England in a £51m deal

WHAT HAPPENED? The Red Devils were heavily linked with the Norwegian striker when fellow countryman Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was calling the shots at Old Trafford, but they were left empty-handed as Haaland made his way to the Etihad Stadium during the summer of 2022. A £51 million ($57m) fee took him to City from Borussia Dortmund, with the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and PSG all considered before eventually being overlooked.

WHAT THEY SAID: Haaland’s father, ex-City midfielder Alf Inge, said on Viaplay’s ‘Haaland – The Big Decision’ documentary when discussing transfer options: “In my opinion, City is the best team on our list. Bayern Munich is number two. We have Real Madrid number three, Paris Saint-Germain number four. We also have some English teams other than City that are pretty good… Liverpool and Chelsea. Then there’s Barcelona. They’re kind of in the same row.”

He added on a points system that delivered no mention of United: “City is a 10 out of 10 in that regard. Bayern Munich gets a point for that, they don't need a number 9. They have their best player as a number 9, but if [Robert] Lewandowski leaves then they don't have anyone else. It would be quite controversial to go to Munich, but if we go through with it, it's one of the best teams. Real Madrid is a five or six. They have Karim Benzema and maybe they will get [Kylian] Mbappe?”

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THE BIGGER PICTURE: Haaland has proved to be a shrewd addition for City, with the prolific 22-year-old registering 14 goals for the club through his first 10 appearances in Premier League and Champions League competition.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

Erling Haaland 2022-23Getty

Erling Haaland 2022-23Getty

Erling Haaland Sevilla

DID YOU KNOW? Haaland has scored a hat-trick in each of his last two Premier League home games for Man City, doing so against Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest. No player has scored a hat-trick in three consecutive Premier League home games before, while the last player to score as many as three home hat-tricks in a single campaign was Sergio Aguero in 2018-19.

WHAT NEXT FOR HAALAND? Reigning champions City will be back in Premier League action on Sunday when their unbeaten record at the start of the 2022-23 campaign is put on the line against arch-rivals United in an eagerly-anticipated derby clash at the Etihad Stadium.

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