Former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov has issued a warning to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer over the potential signing of Erling Haaland and feels his arrival could unbalance the squad.
The Red Devils have been heavily linked with a move for Red Bull Salzburg frontman Haaland, who is being chased by some of Europe’s biggest clubs after a sensational start to the season – scoring 27 goals in 20 game across all competitions.
His father, former player Alf-Inge, is reported to have been at Carrington already, with United the obvious favourites to land Haaland given that he made his breakthrough under compatriot Solskjaer at Molde.
But Berbatov, who spent three-and-a-half years at Old Trafford, feels United do not need another striker and his arrival could create problems, with his style not particularly well suited to the team.
‘If United’s attacking players can perform as well as they did against Tottenham, and Anthony Martial plays to his potential when he returns from injury, then there’s no need for Ole to sign a striker in January,’ Berbatov explained in his Betfair column.
‘Bringing in a new forward at this point could even discourage the players that United already have.
‘I know there’s speculation about Erling Braut Haaland coming to Old Trafford. He’s a big centre-forward, an old fashioned target man who scores tap-ins, so he would offer United something different, but they need to think carefully about how he would fit into their style of play.’
United moved up to sixth place in the Premier League table with their victory over Spurs in midweek and Berbatov believes man-of-the-match Marcus Rashford ‘rattled’ the visitors.
He continued: ‘Manchester United outplayed Tottenham at Old Trafford by moving the ball quickly, being aggressive and generally playing with the kind of purpose that United fans expect to see.
‘The movement of Jesse Lingard, Mason Greenwood and especially Marcus Rashford was excellent and the team’s performance was a big step in the right direction.
‘Rashford scored his first goal from a difficult angle and, even though Paulo Gazzaniga should have saved his shot, it gave the United striker the belief that this was his night. That’s why he was shooting from long-range and playing with great confidence. He confused Tottenham’s defenders with his skills, they were rattled by his pace and power, which is why Moussa Sissoko conceded the penalty in the second-half.’
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