Erling Haaland hits out at critics of his general play as Man City star claims players can succeed ‘without touching the ball’ – weeks after Roy Keane compared him to a ‘League Two’ striker

Erling Haaland dismissed critics of his general play as the Manchester City striker claimed players can succeed at the highest level without touching the ball.

With 25 Premier League goals in his second season, Haaland looks set to become the first since Harry Kane in 2017 to clinch consecutive Golden Boot awards.

But the 23-year-old has been the subject of intense debate about how he fits into Pep Guardiola’s team, with the City boss regularly jumping to his defence.

Roy Keane and Jamie Carragher are among those to have criticised Haaland but the Norwegian insisted those comments fall on deaf ears.

‘There has always been this discussion on how many times I should touch the ball,’ Haaland told Men In Blazers.

The Manchester City star has claimed that the game is more mental than physical at his level

Roy Keane stoked debate when he suggested that he was more akin to a ‘League Two’ striker

‘When I score nobody talks about this but when I don’t people start to mention my touches. This is a part of my life, how people will speak and I can’t control what people say about me.

‘I just have to focus on what I should do on the pitch and my job isn’t to be like Rodri, to control a game, it’s being in the box and finishing the attacks. That’s my focus and I don’t care about what people say.’

Haaland added: ‘In the end you can play football without touching the ball, even if it sounds funny for some to hear that. You can do it with movements, the mental part, and the awareness. It’s a huge part of the game. It’s not only about touching the ball. I know my role in this team.’

Haaland also moved to clarify the discussion around his substitution during last weekend’s 5-1 victory over Wolves. After netting four, he cut a frustrated figure when coming off late in the game, which was thought to have been a reaction to refereeing decisions.

Keane labelled him a ‘spoilt brat’ on the assumption that Haaland’s agitation was aimed at Guardiola.

‘I wasn’t mad because of that,’ he added. ‘I’d love to score more goals but I wasn’t mad about getting subbed off. I was mad for something completely different. I was super happy because Julian [Alvarez] came on and scored. I’m happy for the guy who came on for me, Julian, and that’s how it is.’

City can inch closer to an unprecedented fourth straight league title with victory at Fulham on Saturday, before then travelling back down to London when facing Tottenham on Tuesday.

Before his £51million move from Borussia Dortmund, Haaland struggled to understand how Guardiola managed to achieve the level of consistency shown by City over the years. 

Haaland and Pep Guardiola appeared to tussle on the touchline after the former’s substitution

But the 23-year-old insisted that he was delighted Julian Alvarez (centre) came on to score

‘Sometimes I ask myself the question,’ he said. ‘I’ve been watching City since before I came here. How can they keep on doing this? Then I come here, experience it, get to see the people, the players, the whole club and how they work.

‘That is what impresses me so much. Last year we won the Treble and this year we are still fighting for the league. That is truly something special.

‘I want more. I want to win more of these big trophies because the Treble feeling was unreal.’