Manchester City may not be having the best of seasons, but they’re still a strong team that remains in the picture for next season’s Champions League.
Changes are afoot at Manchester City next season, with Kevin De Bruyne set to leave the Etihad Stadium, but the club has already embarked on a rebuild.
The likes of Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis, Savinho, Nico Gonzalez and Omar Marmoush have joined City in recent months and will form the spine of the future team.
In addition, City have plenty of players in their prime which have caused havoc among opposition players and continue to do so.
Indeed, Aston Villa’s Amadou Onana has now spoken of one of City’s players being the hardest he has ever had to deal with on a physical level.
READ MORE: Pep reveals the conversation he had with Kevin De Bruyne before he announced Man City departure
Amadou Onana says Manchester City’s Erling Haaland is the most physical opponent he’s ever had
Onana is the latest player to take part in the Word Association game on Sky Sports, where players have to respond to a series of prompts in one word.
When it came to the hardest opponent he’s ever had to deal with in terms of physicality, the Aston Villa star laughed and quickly went with Erling Haaland.
“Big Erling,” said Onana. “The thing is, he’s a striker, my center-backs always need help from us as well to try and help contain him.
“But he’s so big, so strong, so fast, so powerful that it makes it difficult for any player – my size, smaller, bigger, doesn’t matter. That guy is just an animal!”
Erling Haaland injury latest
Haaland is sadly unavailable at present, having been ruled out for up to seven weeks due to an ankle problem he picked up in the 2-1 FA Cup quarter-final win over Bournemouth.
The Norway international scored his 30th goal of the season before coming off with the injury just past the hour after being hurt in a challenge with Lewis Cook.
City boss Pep Guardiola told a press conference on Tuesday: “The doctors told me between five and seven weeks, so hopefully for the end of the season and the Club World Cup he will be ready.”
Haaland took to Instagram on Wednesday with a photo of himself wearing a protective boot and holding two crutches in the air with the caption “I’ll be back”.
In the meantime, the likes of Jack Grealish and Omar Marmoush will need to step up – and they both did so by scoring in the midweek Premier League win over Leicester City.
