Daily Star
Erling Haaland’s rise from Molde hopeful to Champions League stardom shows no signs of slowing as Europe’s biggest clubs scramble over a potential summer transfer – but not many saw it coming.
Norway youth coach Gunnar Halle, who remains a crucial part of the national team set-up, worked alongside coach Erland Johnsen during Haaland’s first steps onto the international scene.
The exuberant forward lined up 56 times in total for the development sides before making his senior bow, scoring 36 goals despite an awkward spell of one strike in 17 outings for the Under 16s.
Although his goalscoring desire has always been present, Halle has been left pleasantly surprised by the rapid rise of the striker he helped nurture at a young age.
Speaking exclusively to Daily Star Sport, the former Leeds, Bradford and Wolves defender said: “He wasn’t like he is now when he was 14 or 15.”
Before adding: “You could see he was a good player but not… I mean Martin Odegaard who was previously in that age group was more mature and you could see that he was different.
“You could see that Erling would be a good player. Yes we could see that Erling was a good player, but we didn’t know then that he was going to progress so quick.
“When he was 16 and he played at the European Under 17 Championships against England, he was good but his arms and legs were all over the place so his body wasn’t really set.
