“It just looks a bit unfair” – Gary Neville compares Erling Haaland to James Bond villain as Manchester City star deemed ‘unplayable’
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has likened Manchester City ace Erling Haaland to the famous James Bond villain Jaws, claiming the Norwegian is just as formidable as Bond’s nemesis.
Erling Haaland has enjoyed a stellar start to his Premier League career. The Manchester City no. 9 has only featured in six English top flight games thus far but has already 10 goals to his name. More impressively, six of his ten goals came in two games, with him netting consecutive hat-tricks against Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest, respectively.
Only four Premier League players have ever won the European Golden Shoe:
◉ Kevin Phillips (99/00)
◉ Thierry Henry (03/04 & 04/05)
◉ Cristiano Ronaldo (07/08)
◉ Luis Suarez (13/14)
Erling Haaland wants to be number five. 🤖 https://t.co/TmtqWptKNj
On his podcast, Neville spoke at length about the striker, claiming that it was unfair for defenders to go up against the former Borussia Dortmund man. He said (via Sky Sports):
“Erling Haaland is... it just looks a bit unfair. I remember when I watched James Bond films when I was younger and there was the character Jaws, who was about 7ft 2in.
“He used to just pick people up and chuck them on the floor, and it's a little bit like that when you watch Haaland against strong centre-backs. You think, 'wow, he's just unplayable - how do you even cope with him in the box?”
With 10 goals, the Manchester City striker is the leading scorer in the division. Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic is second with six strikes in as many fixtures.
Gary Neville thinks Manchester City stint will prolong Erling Haaland’s career
Pep Guardiola’s Cityzens love to keep hold of the ball. From defenders to forwards, everyone is comfortable with the ball, which goes a long way in ensuring that possession is not given away cheaply.
Alumni #Bundesliga
Haaland 6 Games: 10 Gol
Lewandowski 4 Games: 5 Gol https://t.co/UsiUuRaQuh
Thanks to his teammates, the former Dortmund striker is rarely required to stretch the game. Neville believes the lack of high-intensity runs could help City’s marquee signing remain on top for a longer period.
On his podcast, Neville added:
“The one thing I would say is Haaland's career at City will probably prolong his overall career, because he's just standing there. The way Manchester City play, with that possession that they keep, you never really see him stretching teams, other than when they get one or two in front.”