Man City news: Pundit issues 'unbelievable' Haaland claim amid latest

By Paul Robinson

13th Feb, 2023 | 6:00am

Man City news: Pundit issues 'unbelievable' Erling Haaland claim amid injury latest

Paul Robinson has claimed Kevin De Bruyne “is the key” to unlocking Erling Haaland’s potential at Man City.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former Spurs and England number one said Pep Guardiola’s side “look unbelievable” when the play to Haaland’s strengths.

In a 1-0 defeat to Tottenham on 5 February, Haaland had zero shots and zero touches in the opposition box.

The Norway international also failed to score in Man City’s 3-1 win over Aston Villa on Sunday (12 February).

Pep Guardiola withdrew the striker at half-time because of a thigh injury.

Speaking to Sky Sports (12 February), Guardiola said Haaland had suffered “a big knock”.

When asked by Football Insider for his assessment of Haaland’s form, Robinson said: “Haaland looks a lot better when Kevin De Bruyne plays.

“He is the key. He looks to put balls in behind. That plays to Haaland’s strengths because he is constantly making those runs in behind the opposition.

“I think Haaland is still learning about City and City are still learning about Haaland. It’s not perfect even though he has scored a ridiculous amount of goals.

“City’s goals came from all over the pitch last year. That has not been the case this year. They are having to adapt.

“I think they are a team in transition. They are learning to play with Haaland. When they play to his strengths they look unbelievable. But, when they don’t it doesn’t look good. Sometimes he is very ineffective. Is that down to him or down to the team?”

In other news, a pundit fears Man City could suffer a ‘huge blow’ after source’s Rodri update.