OLE Gunnar Solskjaer regrets that United did not make a formal approach to sign Declan Rice.
Rice moved from West Ham United to Arsenal in the summer for £100million and United had been long-time admirers dating back to Jose Mourinho's tenure as manager while Rice had expressed interest in joining the club.
Solskjaer wanted a defensive midfielder in the summer of 2021 but United did not have the budget to move for Rice, who was under contract at West Ham until 2025.
The absence of a younger defensive-minded midfielder was apparent as United were steamrollered 4-2 by Leicester, thrashed 5-0 by Liverpool, outclassed by City and pummeled 4-1 at Watford in four of Solskjaer's last five Premier League matches in charge.
"I really like him (Rice) as a player," Solskjaer told the Stick to Football podcast. "We've discussed him a few times and I think we would've done well with him in midfield.
"His legs, covering the pitch and I think he improved a lot on his playmaking as well. Obviously, he would've cost some money, but we could've and should've gone for him."
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