"Haaland thought he was alone" – Sergio Aguero reacts to Manchester City star's struggle in Community Shield defeat

Erling Haaland joined the Citizens in June.

Manchester City legend Sergio Aguero has stated that new signing Erling Haaland will require time to settle into the Premier League following two-and-a-half years at Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund.

Haaland, who joined City from Borussia Dortmund for £51 million, made his competitive debut for his new club in a 3-1 defeat against the Reds in the Community Shield on July 30. The 22-year-old, though, failed to impress in his first outing, missing two clear opportunities.

Pep Guardiola on Erling Haaland: "It is good for him to see the reality in a new country and a new league but he was there and had the chances. He didn’t score - he has incredible quality and he will do it."

The Norwegian, who scored a whopping 85 goals in 88 appearances for BVB, was kept quiet on Saturday afternoon by a resolute Reds defence, marshaled by centre-back Virgil van Dijk. Speaking on his Twitch channel (via The Mirror), Aguero shared his two cents. He said:

"He was too used to Germany, Haaland thought he was alone, then Van Dijk arrived and said, 'Welcome to the Premier League.'"

The five-time Premier League winner also gave his opinion on the permanent transfer of forward Raheem Sterling to Chelsea and added:

"I don't understand the sale of Sterling, there are times they [Manchester City] make strange decisions."

Speaking about new signing Julian Alvarez, who arrived from River Plate for £14.1 million earlier this summer, Aguero continued:

"Julian sent me a message to find out how life is in Manchester, I told him that he was going to be very cold!"

So far, Manchester City have roped in Haaland, Alvarez, holding midfielder Kalvin Phillips for £42 million from Leeds United. They have also bought second-choice goalkeeper Stefan Ortega on a free transfer from Arminia Bielefeld.

The Pep Guardiola-coached side are scheduled to begin their 2022-23 Premier League campaign away at West Ham United on August 7.

Manchester City, 2022/23. 🔵⚪️ @ManCity https://t.co/wuKPdJUivo

Manchester City offer Bernardo Silva to Barcelona in summer transfer window

According to L'Equipe, Manchester City are open to selling midfielder Bernardo Silva to Barcelona for a fee in the region of £67 million. The Catalan giants have reportedly identified the 27-year-old as an ideal replacement for Netherlands midfielder Frenkie de Jong.

Silva, who has three years left on his deal at the Etihad Stadium, has lifted four Premier League trophies during his five-year stint in Manchester. He has featured in 250 matches across all competitions for the Premier League champions, registering 48 goals and 50 assists.

Barcelona are expected to struggle to meet Manchester City's valuation of Silva unless they offload De Jong to Manchester United. The club have already spent over £120 million to sign Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Kounde despite their dire financial situation.