.As Solskjaer rues Haaland miss
Robin van Persie has criticised Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for smiling during his post-match interview after Manchester United’s defeat to Arsenal on New Year’s Day.
United delivered a woeful performance at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday as first-half goals from Nicolas Pepe and Sokratis Papastathopoulos secured a 2-0 victory for Mikel Arteta’s side.
During his post-match interview with BT Sport, Solskjaer caught a replay of Arsenal’s two goals in his eyeline and briefly laughed before putting his head in his hand, reports metro.co.uk.
And former Arsenal and United striker Van Persie was not happy with the Norwegian’s reaction.
“I listen to Ole, he sounds like a really nice guy,” Van Persie told BT Sport.
“But I would like to see him a bit more edgy, a bit more mean at times.
“[Angry] yeah, sometimes, it’s part of his job as well. Just be angry.
“I see him smiling now, after a game like that, you know.
“This is not the moment to smile.”
Asked if there’s a lack of fear from United’s players towards Solskjaer, Van Persie replied: “Probably, by the looks of it I think so.”
However, Rio Ferdinand insisted that Solskjaer does have a nastier side which the public do not see in the dressing room. “I understand what he’s saying and you what a reaction in the changing room,” Ferdinand said.
“The difference is there might be a different Ole in the changing room, and that’s what you’re hoping probably.
“There’s a different side to Ole, I know he can be very cutthroat, very cold, things he said to players can be very cutting when he was a player, and I’m sure he’ll be similar like that as a manager.”
Meanwhile, Solskjaer has admitted Manchester United have missed out on signing a ‘fantastic boy’ in Erling Haaland after the striker opted to join Borussia Dortmund.
United were confident of completing a deal for Haaland in the January transfer window, while Solskjaer even met with the striker last month to discuss a potential move to Old Trafford.
But Dortmund won the race ahead of United and paid the €20 million (£17.1m) buyout clause in his contract with Red Bull Salzburg.
When asked about losing out on Haaland after United’s defeat to Arsenal on New Year’s Day, Solskjaer replied: “Well, Dortmund have signed a fantastic boy, I can’t answer more than that.”
Solskjaer appeared to have a major advantage in signing Haaland as he had already managed the striker at Molde.
But reports claimed that United pulled out of the move as Haaland’s agent Mino Raiola demanded a buyout clause in the Norwegian’s contract and wanted a share of any future sale.
“The club that he had the most direct contact with him was United,” Raiola told ‘The Telegraph’.
