Ex-Blue labels the Norwegian international as "the best striker in the world"
Ex-Blues defender Bacary Sagna has labelled Erling Haaland as "the best striker in the world", ahead of the Manchester derby on Sunday.
The Norwegian international has enjoyed an outstanding start to his City career, scoring 14 goals in his first 10 appearances for the club, and Sagna was effusive in his praise in an exclusive interview with Lord Ping.
"He is a machine. It is crazy how he can have such a huge impact in such a short space of time. He has been there for about three months - it’s insane what he is doing. In his first games, particularly the Community Shield, he missed a few chances and some people were quick to judge him, but he has made them eat their words. He responded to that in the best possible way: scoring goals. He is clinical.
"But you know, this a player who is 22 years old, but who has been scoring like this for years and years. For me, at the moment, he is the best striker in the world. I’m not surprised at all by how quickly he has adapted.
"He has made a phenomenal team better. The biggest credit that I can give him is that he has made a team that was already at the very top, even better. With him in the City squad, you have to say that they are favourites for every single competition that they enter. It will be very difficult for any team to beat Manchester City this season."
Full-back Joao Cancelo has also caught Sagna's eye in the opening games of the season, particularly his "crazy" crossing ability:
"He can play anywhere and he always delivers. He makes decisive contributions in every game that he plays, both offensively and defensively. He always shows that he is a top, top player in every single performance.
"He is very confident on the ball. He can deliver some crazy, crazy crosses (laughs)! Honestly, in the last year…wow! His crosses are outrageous. I had the chance to play against him when he was at Inter when I played in Italy and I didn’t know him, but I thought he had ability. He was trying all kinds of crazy things in the game. He was trying to nutmeg players at the back and it was working, that's what shocked me the most, everything he did that day worked. He was just having fun and he plays with that same enthusiasm and spirit at Manchester City. He is a player that wants to play. It is a joy to see him playing so well, especially after what happened to him and his family last year. He has bounced back perfectly."