Solskjaer Reveals He Spoke To Rashford Before Manchester United Made A Move For $106M Midfielder

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer revealed he spoke to Marcus Rashford before the club made a move for his fellow England player Jadon Sancho ahead of the summer transfer window.

Solskjaer never hesitated to admit Sancho, who was currently contracted with Dortmund until June, 2022, was Man Utd’s top target this summer. While Sancho was heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford, both the clubs were not able to reach an agreement. Mason Greenwood’s impressive form in the last few matches had led to questions about Sancho’s transfer to the Red Devils. However, it was understood Man Utd were still eager to acquire the 20-year-old's signatures, whose transfer fee was believed to have been lowered from $124 million to $106 million.

It was also reported Sancho was keen on uniting with stars such as Rashford, Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial and Bruno Fernandes, and had agreed to personal terms with Man Utd. Earlier this year, Rashford admitted he would love to have Sancho as his Man Utd teammate and in a recent interview, Solskjaer disclosed that he had consulted Rashford regarding Sancho’s possible transfer to their club.

Speaking to the High Performance Podcast, Solskjaer was asked about the background checks Man Utd undertake when it came to new signings. The Norwegian replied, "I think for English internationals, for example, you speak to Marcus [Rashford]. What do you think of such and such team-mate of yours? Do you think he’ll fit?"

Since Solskjaer took over Man Utd’s charge, the club has signed one England national – their current skipper Harry Maguire, who came from Leicester City for a fee of $100 million last summer.

Earlier Solskjaer revealed he got in touch with his former Man Utd teammate Cristiano Ronaldo before signing Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon. Ronaldo and Fernandes played together for the Portugal national side and they both had a key role when their country won the inaugural UEFA Nations League in 2019.

"We’ve got the chief scouts who do all the scouting, we’ve got the analysts who analyze and break everything down to the minutest detail. But you can see that with your eye really what talent and quality you’ve got. Then you speak to teammates, who maybe play with them in the national team. So obviously Cristiano was an easy goal for me. I managed to get through Patrice Evra, I managed to get hold of Cristiano and his recommendation obviously stands him [Fernandes] in good stead, " added Solskjaer in the same interview.