“All he needs to do is stay fit” – Michael Owen makes bold prediction about what Haaland can achieve after second consecutive hat-trick for Manchester City
Former Liverpool star Michael Owen has backed Manchester City ace Erling Haaland to break virtually every goalscoring record in the world, claiming that only injuries can halt his progress.
Manchester City secured an emphatic 6-0 win over newly-promoted Nottingham Forest in Premier League gameweek six on Wednesday night (August 31). Haaland stole the show at the Etihad Stadium, scoring a stellar first-half hat-trick for the defending champions.
The treble marked his second on the trot, with his previous one coming in Manchester City’s 4-2 comeback win over Crystal Palace on matchday four (August 27).
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Doesn't get much better than this! 🔵 #mancity https://t.co/CrThLRSvXO
Owen, who won two Premier League Golden Boot awards while playing for the Reds, was left mesmerized by the Norwegian's performance. Predicting the former Borussia Dortmund striker’s future, Owen tweeted (via the Manchester Evening News):
“I repeat, this fella is going to break virtually every goal-scoring record there is. He’s too big, too quick, clinical in front of goal and he’s playing in a team that create dozens of chances. All he needs to do is stay fit.”
Haaland’s hat-trick on Wednesday made him a part of an elite Premier League clique. Before him, only five players had scored consecutive Premier League hat-tricks: Les Ferdinand, Ian Wright, Didier Drogba, Wayne Rooney, and Harry Kane (x2).
The Manchester City no. 9 currently leads the Premier League Golden Boot race with nine goals in five games. He sits four goals clear of second-placed Aleksandar Mitrovic.
Pep Guardiola backs Erling Haaland to become Manchester City great
Pep Guardiola heaped praise on his new striker following another masterful display by the 21-year-old forward. The Spanish coach carefully avoided comparisons with the club’s leading scorer (260 goals) Sergio Aguero but claimed that the former RB Salzburg star had the quality to create his own legacy.
Sergio Agüero's first five games at City:
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Erling Haaland's first five games at City:
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Guardiola said (via Independent.ie):
“Sergio is the legend. Nobody can break the position in the hearts of City fans, scoring the most important goal in the modern history. Erling has the quality to be there. It’s not about him or Sergio. What Sergio has done is amazing. But Erling has this talent.”
He concluded by saying:
“When City bought Erling, everybody talked about what he has done in the past. What we wanted to do is help him. Hopefully, he can enjoy and score more goals. What he has done in Norway, Austria and Germany he tries to do here. He’s talented, we knew it.”