MY ACCOUNT
Erling Haaland is aiming to follow Sergio Aguero into the hearts of Manchester City supporters after drawing thousands to his presentation on Sunday.
The former Borussia Dortmund striker has joined as the spearhead of the latest incarnation of Pep Guardiola’s City team.
After winning the Premier League title last season while often playing with a ‘false nine’ forward, City will put their faith in penalty box predator Haaland in the new campaign.
Haaland, who turns 22 on July 21, has joined a City side who have yet to win the Champions League, which is the big target now.
The new boy will be expected to contribute a flood of goals both domestically and in Europe, and he said: “I’m really looking forward to it. It’s going to be really nice. I’m sure we’re going to have a good time together.
“The expectations for this season is to come into the new team, to get to know everyone of course now and get the connections and have fun. When I have fun, I score goals, I win games, so it’s easy.”
There is good reason for the high expectation that has surrounded Haaland’s arrival. The Norwegian scored 86 goals in 89 appearances in all competitions during two and a half years at Dortmund, with only Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski (123 in 108 games) and Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe (93 in 111 games) from Europe’s top five leagues scoring more in that time.
Last season, Haaland scored 29 goals in 30 games on all fronts at a rate of one goal every 3.6 attempts, and he put away 65.8 per cent of his big chances.
“It’s an amazing team and we just have to continue and to get a little bit better,” Haaland said of his City challenge. “It’s not much to say, I’m just looking forward to everything.”
Haaland’s father, Alf-Inge, played for City and was present on Sunday for the presentation that took place outside the Etihad Stadium.
“It’s going to be nice, my father played here for a couple of years,” said Haaland. “It’s always special when your father did something, and you get to do some the same things that he did, it’s a bit special.”
Asked about his idols as a boy, Haaland said: “Of course my dad, but in City I have many jerseys at home from Aguero, so of course him, so from City it was him.
“I love strikers because I’ve always been a striker myself. Aguero’s a good example of scoring goals.”
Argentinian Aguero is City’s record scorer, leaving for Barcelona a year ago after netting 254 goals for the club in a 10-year spell. He has since retired.
City paraded Haaland along with fellow forward Julian Alvarez and new back-up goalkeeper Stefan Ortega on Sunday. They could make their first appearances on the upcoming pre-season trip to the United States.
Kalvin Phillips, acquired from Leeds United, was expected to join them at the presentation but was reportedly absent due to illness.
Asked which team he was most looking forward to facing, Haaland could not resist expressing his impatience for derby day. City are due to play Manchester United on October 1.
“I have to say I don’t like to say the words, but Manchester United, yeah,” Haaland said. “I think it’s going to be a really good time together.
“Let’s get this pre-season gone quick and good and I can’t wait to get started with the important games, and games all the time.”
