“He’s got a mix of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Ronaldo” – Patrice Evra offers glowing assessment of Premier League star
Manchester United legend Patrice Evra has opined that Premier League striker Erling Haaland is a mix of Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovich.
Haaland has exceeded expectations in England, racking up a remarkable 18 goals in just 13 league appearances since joining Manchester City this summer.
Writing in his column for Betfair, Evra had only words of praise for Haaland. The Norwegian's brilliant performances on the pitch reminded the legendary left-back of his former teammate:
"I have a lot of respect for him [Erling Haaland], I love his mentality. He's humble, he wants to achieve things, he doesn't talk a lot, he's a killer. I will never compare him to other players, but he's got a mix of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Ronaldo. He's got everything."
The former France international continued:
"When you saw City lose the Champions League final against Chelsea, Guardiola chose not to play a striker, that's always been an issue. Even when Aguero was there he had his injuries. I think he's putting extra pressure on Pep Guardiola."
Evra went on to remark that Haaland has given the Cityzens a chance to win the coveted Champions League trophy:
"It's not as if Haaland can do everything, but he is the one, he's the one that can make City finally dream of touching the Champions League trophy. With Erling Haaland, they have a chance."
Haaland will be working on improving City's standing in the Premier League, where they are currently five points behind Arsenal in the title race.
Erik ten Hag refuses to discuss Cristiano Ronaldo in Carabao Cup press conference
During their Carabao Cup clash against Burnley on December 21, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag made no reference to Cristiano Ronaldo in his program notes.
Instead, he focused on topics such as the team's warm-weather training camp in Spain and their recent friendly matches against Cadiz and Real Betis. The Dutch manager also discussed their last Premier League outing against Fulham on November 13.
When asked about Ronaldo's exit in his post-match press conference, Ten Hag stated:
"I gave you all the opportunity, many of you were in Spain. We made the statement, we look to the future."
However, there was a short mention of the Portuguese ace's departure in the "Worth Knowing" section of pages six and seven of the United Review program. It stated, "Cristiano Ronaldo left the club by mutual agreement last month."
The program then discussed the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's Premier League history with the Red Devils.