Paul Parker urges Manchester United to prioritise defence over Erling Haaland
Paul Parker would reject the chance to take Erling Haaland to Manchester United, arguing that the club should focus on repairing its defence rather than pursuing Manchester City’s prolific striker.
Why Manchester United’s priorities matter
| Item | Figure or detail |
|---|---|
| Haaland’s European milestone | 60 goals in 60 appearances |
| Lionel Messi’s equivalent mark | 60 goals in 80 appearances |
| Haaland release clause at RB Salzburg | €20m |
| Later clause discussed by Solskjaer | €60m |
| First United recommendation | June or July 2018 |
Parker, the former United full-back who won trophies with the club in the early 1990s, believes Haaland’s extraordinary output does not make him the right fit for Old Trafford. He described the prospect as unlikely in any case, but said he would not want the Norway international in a United side because of his style of play.
Instead, Parker identified Manchester City midfielder Nico O’Reilly and Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi as players he would consider. He called O’Reilly an outstanding player, while making clear that Elliot Anderson would not be among his preferred targets.
Guehi was the more direct solution to United’s needs in Parker’s view. Although he feels the England defender has not matched the level he reached at Crystal Palace, Parker said United need greater order and reliability across the back four and named Guehi as the defender he would pursue.
The comments revive a long-running Old Trafford question over Haaland, whose route to Manchester City followed missed opportunities for United. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had coached Haaland for two seasons at Molde and contacted United in the summer of 2018, before becoming the club’s caretaker manager, to urge them to sign the forward.
United declined at that stage, having already gathered reports on other players. After Haaland joined RB Salzburg, Solskjaer again pressed the club to act while the striker could have been signed through a €20m release clause. He said no bid was made before Haaland’s scoring record in Austria drew interest from Borussia Dortmund, Juventus and other leading clubs.
By that point, Solskjaer said, Haaland still had a €60m clause that represented strong value, but United again chose not to proceed. Haaland subsequently joined Dortmund before moving to City, where he has helped the club win several Premier League titles and its first European crown.
His record in the Champions League has continued to underline the scale of United’s missed chance. Haaland reached 60 goals in the competition in 60 matches, 20 appearances quicker than Messi needed to reach the same total with Barcelona.
No move on the horizon
There is no suggestion of a current approach for Haaland, and Parker himself considers such a transfer unrealistic. His argument is that United’s recruitment should begin with defensive stability, with O’Reilly and Guehi representing the profiles he would favour over a high-profile move for City’s striker.
