It is now well documented that Manchester United were heavily interested in signing Haaland from Salzburg 12 months ago, but Dortmund beat them to the punch. United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's project looks more attractive now.
Anthony Martial has started 11 Premier League and Champions League games at centre-forward this season, and has six goals in those appearances.
When Marcus Rashford has played on the left wing, with Martial as a striker, in a 4-2-3-1 system, they naturally occupy similar areas of the pitch in the inside-left channel and leave United without a central focal point.
Martial (9) and Rashford (10) occupied very similar average positions in November's loss at Basaksehir in the Champions League
Solskjaer recognised this tactical flaw, and sparked a good run of results, by selecting Edinson Cavani as his centre-forward or using Martial and Rashford as a strike partnership in a 4-4-2 diamond system.
With Cavani turning 34 next month and only signed on a short-term deal, there is a strong case to suggest United would benefit significantly from the penalty box presence that Haaland brings through the middle.
He is also the ideal fit for Solskjaer's heavy reliance on the counter-attack.
Haaland excels at playing on the shoulder of the last defender and exploiting gaps. So well timed are some of his runs in behind that he is now even scoring this type of goal against sides who have sat deeper this season, such as Freiburg, Schalke and Hertha Berlin.
Haaland's heat map in a goalscoring performance against Brugge in November shows how centrally he plays
This could provide Solskjaer with an extra weapon in games like January's 2-1 home loss to Sheffield United, where United struggled for goalscoring opportunities because they were denied the space to counter-attack.
And a potential partnership with Bruno Fernandes, who has completed the most through balls in the Premier League this season (15), would be an excellent stylistic fit.
Player Shots per 90 minutes this season
Anthony Martial 2.43
Edinson Cavani 2.88
Erling Braut Haaland 3.72
Anthony Martial has started 11 Premier League and Champions League games at centre-forward this season, and has six goals in those appearances.
When Marcus Rashford has played on the left wing, with Martial as a striker, in a 4-2-3-1 system, they naturally occupy similar areas of the pitch in the inside-left channel and leave United without a central focal point.
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Martial (9) and Rashford (10) occupied very similar average positions in November's loss at Basaksehir in the Champions League
Solskjaer recognised this tactical flaw, and sparked a good run of results, by selecting Edinson Cavani as his centre-forward or using Martial and Rashford as a strike partnership in a 4-4-2 diamond system.
With Cavani turning 34 next month and only signed on a short-term deal, there is a strong case to suggest United would benefit significantly from the penalty box presence that Haaland brings through the middle.
He is also the ideal fit for Solskjaer's heavy reliance on the counter-attack.
Haaland excels at playing on the shoulder of the last defender and exploiting gaps. So well timed are some of his runs in behind that he is now even scoring this type of goal against sides who have sat deeper this season, such as Freiburg, Schalke and Hertha Berlin.
You must log in or register to see images
Haaland's heat map in a goalscoring performance against Brugge in November shows how centrally he plays
This could provide Solskjaer with an extra weapon in games like January's 2-1 home loss to Sheffield United, where United struggled for goalscoring opportunities because they were denied the space to counter-attack.
And a potential partnership with Bruno Fernandes, who has completed the most through balls in the Premier League this season (15), would be an excellent stylistic fit.
Player Shots per 90 minutes this season
Anthony Martial 2.43
Edinson Cavani 2.88
Erling Braut Haaland 3.72
