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."
This story is from the March 07, 2024 edition of Manchester Evening News.
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This story is from the March 07, 2024 edition of Manchester Evening News.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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