Scout report for Manchester United target Erling Haaland

Bengaluru, November 18: The 19-year-old Red Bull Salzburg sensation Erling Haaland is currently one of the hottest properties in European football. The youngster has alerted the big boys across Europe with his sensational run of form for the Austrian giants this season.

The young Norwegian seems to be on the wishlist of almost every big club in Europe at the moment and is being watched closely week in week out by scouts from across the continent.

Manchester United reportedly are one of the biggest suitors of the wonderkid and that's not a surprise given his goal-scoring form.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had previously worked with the young striker at Molde when he was the manager of the Norwegian giants. He is well aware of Haaland's abilities and his immense potential. And, the Red Devils are in desperate need of a striker as both Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial do not look like comfortable when they lead the lines.

As per reports from the Manchester Evening News, the Red Devils are desperate to land Haaland in January and to stave off competition from clubs who are at a better position compared to them, they could be preparing a lucrative offer to Salzburg, which will see the 19-year-old return to the club on loan for the remainder of the season.

The likes of Juventus, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid all look interested in the services of the in-form young striker but none of them could offer him a guaranteed spot in the starting XI which is a big reason why the Red Devils have a big advantage over their competitors.

Solskjaer is unlucky to some extent that Haaland signed for Salzburg just three months before he took over at Old Trafford when he was still in charge of Molde.

Haaland boasts a typical Scandinavian physique. He is blessed with a huge frame of 6 ft 4 in and is exceptionally strong for a 19-year-old. Thanks to his huge frame, he can easily dominate in the air. And thanks to his build, he seems to be a readymade fit for the Premier League where most youngsters struggle to adapt due to physicality of the league.

Despite his tall, strong and stout stature, the 19-year-old is excellent in terms of his technical abilities. He is good with the ball at his feet and is a technical dribbler. It is rare to see big strikers with so much quality on the ball. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is one of those rare exceptions and Haaland seems to belong to that category as well.

The two-time capped Norway international has bagged 26 goals in 18 appearances for Salzburg this season including seven in four Champions League games. It was particularly his excellent showings in the Champions League that made the world take notice of him.

In fact, his debut in Europe was in itself a massive one as he scored a hat-trick in a 6-2 win over Belgian side Genk. He has scored four more hat-tricks this season.

The 19-year-old became only the third teenager in Champions League history to score three goals on his debut, sharing the feat with Yakubu and Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney.

Haaland can operate either as a typical old school number nine or even a as a modern day centre-forward with almost every quality a striker aspires of having.

Haaland is quite agile and hard-working. He has quick feet and has so far this season averaged 2.8 successful dribbles and 1.8 progressive runs per 90 minutes. Another quality the youngster has at his disposal is that he is goo with both feet and of course strong aerially as well.

The Norwegian will be able to provide Manchester United the presence up front that they are missing this season with Martial and Rashford both visibly being better players when deployed in wide roles.

Haaland is the son of the Norwegian former Nottingham Forest, Leeds United and Manchester City defender Alf-Inge Haaland and will therefore get to know how Premier League football feels like from his father.

Solskjaer, his former manager at Molde and now the manager of Manchester United who also hails from Norway, could be his ideal guide as he looks like a player who can set the Premier League on fire.