Erling Haaland heard asking question as Man Utd fans booed him outside Old Trafford

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland was heard asking "why me?" as a group of Manchester United fans greeted him with a chorus of boos outside Old Trafford.

Haaland, who came close to signing for Manchester United before his transfer to Borussia Dortmund in 2020, received a hostile reception ahead of Sunday's much-anticipated Manchester derby.

As he stepped off the team bus, a large number of United supporters booed Haaland, who looked bemused by the reaction to his arrival.

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In fact, footage shows the Norwegian looking at a staff member who was standing next to the Old Trafford entrance before asking the question: "Why me?"

The clip soon went viral, with fans having their say on his reaction. One said: "Haaland laughing at United fans booing him," and a second commented: "But honestly why are they booing him."

Erling Haaland came close to joining Manchester United after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer push

Back in 2022, Borussia Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke confirmed that Haaland came close to joining United before his move to the Bundesliga side.

United were interested in Haaland before his move to Signal Iduna Park, with then-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer keen to reunite with the forward, whom he had previously worked with at Norwegian outfit Molde.

Haaland was full of praise for Solskjaer. Speaking to TV2 in September 2019, he said: “He [Solskjaer] has had a huge impact on my life, both as a person and as a trainer.

"He won the Champions League and was an incredibly good player. He has taught me a lot."

However, a move to Old Trafford failed to materialise for Haaland, with former United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward reportedly reluctant to insert a release clause into a deal.

United's hesitancy allowed Dortmund to sign Haaland by agreeing to the release clause.

Watzke confirmed just how close Haaland came to joining the Red Devils, telling 19:09 Talk: "We gave Erling Haaland a release clause… otherwise he would have gone to Manchester United."

To make matters worse for United, Haaland went on to join City and the rest, as they say, is history.