“Haaland isn’t a superstar, how can he be?” - Argentine coach says he prefers Manchester City star ahead of Erling Haaland
Argentine coach Antonio Mohamed recently said he would prefer Julian Alvarez over the attacker's Manchester City teammate Erling Haaland.
Not many would make the claim, given the Norway international's performances in the last couple of seasons. Despite failing to meet the standards he set in the 2022/23 campaign, Haaland finished this season with 38 goals and six assists in 45 matches across competitions.
Meanwhile, Alvarez, who is yet to become a regular starter under Pep Guardiola, featured 54 times, bagging 19 goals and 13 assists in all competitions. Despite that, Mohamed claimed he wouldn't pay a significant amount of money for a player who just provides goals.
Speaking to TyC Sports, he said (via PSG Talk):
"Haaland isn't a superstar, how can he be? He's just really good at scoring goals. If you ask me, 'would you pay 100 million for Haaland?' As a coach, I'd say no. I'd pay for Julian and have Julian play on my team. It all about the coaches' prefernaces."
With extreme competition at the Etihad in the frontline, Alvarez has been linked with a move away to Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, according to TyC Sports. He will find it hard to break into a wide slot as well, with competition from Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, Jack Grealish, and Jeremy Doku, among others.
Alvarez has made 103 appearances across competitions for Manchester City, bagging 36 goals and 18 assists.
Erling Haaland refuses to comment on his future at Manchester City
Despite being the main man for Manchester City over the past couple of seasons, Erling Haaland's future seems uncertain, with Real Madrid said to be interested in the striker.
However, the 23-year-old, who arrived at the Etihad in the summer of 2022 for a reported €60 million, still has three years left on his current deal. When asked whether the Cityzens are looking to extend his contract, Haaland told TV2 (via Standard):
"I've had two fantastic years and have three years left. That's all I can say."
When pressed further about the prospect of a new deal, he responded:
"That's all I can say, what I just said."
So far at Manchester City, Haaland has played 98 matches across competitions, bagging 90 goals and 15 assists. He's won the UEFA Champions League once and two Premier League titles, among other honors with the Cityzens.