Erling Haaland’s former youth coach claims that he was confident that the striker would find success in England after moving to Manchester City.
Alf-Ingve Berntsen worked with the striker at Bryne for ten years between the ages of 8 and 16. Asked by Flashscore whether he was sure Haaland would thrive in the Premier League, he replied:
“Yes, because a lot of Erling’s goals come from good movement, he’s a clever player. He’s strong, he’s fast. But not only that, he can read the opponent’s movement very well. He’s been like that since he was ten, eleven, maybe eight, nine years old. He was great at it even then. What’s special about him is that he can repeat what he does.”
“Now he’s a physical monster in his own way, but at the same time he’s not easy to catch on the pitch.If you don’t want to let him score, you have to put two or three defenders on him, but that way his teammates will score more goals because they get open spaces because of his work. That’s what Erling and I have always benefited from.”
“It’s just so hard to defend him. And at every level he’s played, under-9, then under-10, under-11, regional league, youth national teams, all the clubs – he’s scored a lot of goals everywhere. So when he went to England, I knew that his skills were ideal for a club playing at the highest level. He scores goals from breakaways, and set-piece chances, inside the penalty area, but he also scores goals just from random shots and nowadays he’s scoring with his head. He’s a complete offensive package in one player.”
Haaland’s astonishing goal record in English football
Since joining the Cityzens in the summer of 2022, the Norwegian international has hit the back of the net 101 times in 109 appearances.
In the Premier League, Haaland has already secured two Golden Boots, having scored 73 goals over the past two and a bit seasons. There is every chance that he will break Alan Shearer’s all-time record (260 goals) if he remains at the Etihad for several more years.
There is speculation about the City striker’s future
A number of sources have claimed that a release clause will become active in Haaland’s contract next year. The buyout fee varies depending on the report you read. Some say it is around €150m (£125m) while others believe it could be as high as €200m (£166m).
There is no reason for the 24-year-old to leave the club, considering the winners medals and personal accolades he is receiving. Even so, it is something that fans should be mindful of heading into next summer.
Find out who is in Manchester City’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here
