The father of Erling Braut Haaland, former Manchester City midfielder Alf-Inge Haaland, has suggested that not everyone at Manchester United wanted his son at the club.

The Red Devils were strongly linked with a move for the prolific striker in January, having seen him score 28 goals in just 22 games for Red Bull Salzburg during the first half of the season.

However, the 19-year-old was ultimately snapped up by Borussia Dortmund, and the elder Haaland has revealed that they chose the German outfit because the "whole club" wanted the deal - not just the manager.

"You never know how it would go in other clubs. It may well have been good, too, if we had chosen a different route. We'll never get an answer to that. But we are very happy with the clubs he has been in," he told TV2.

"You have to go to a club where the whole club wants you, not just the coach. I think that's the most important thing, in addition to how the club has been over the last five or 10 years and what direction they've taken.

"Because it's dangerous to just sign for a coach, because he can suddenly be sacked."

Haaland has gone on to score 12 goals in 11 games for Dortmund, taking his overall season tally to 40 in only 33 outings.