Former Premier League defender Ledley King has admitted he didn’t think Erling Haaland would fit in at Manchester City.
Haaland joined City from Borussia Dortmund last summer in the most anticipated transfer of the year.
City paid a £52m transfer fee for the Norwegian striker, and it’s safe to say he more than repaid that sum over the course of the season.
Haaland scored a remarkable 52 goals in 53 appearances in all competitions as City won a historic treble.
36 of those strikes came in the league, smashing the previous record – set at 34 by Alan Shearer and Andrew Cole in the mid-1990s – for the most goals scored in a single Premier League season.
Things turned out more than well in the end, but there were some who questioned how the 23-year-old would fit into Pep Guardiola’s side.
King admits Haaland doubts
One of those was former Tottenham Hotspur and England centre-back Ledley King, who didn’t think Haaland’s style of play matched City’s.
“When Haaland first decided he was going to City I didn’t think it was the right move for him because – I turned out to be wrong with the amount of goals he scored – I think he’s a runner, he wants space in behind,” King said in a recent Twitter Spaces hosted by football game Akshun.
“City are a team that aren’t going to play that way, they aren’t going to play early balls to him. They’re going to bring the ball out up the pitch, so I didn’t think it was the best fit for him.
“But City are so dominant, they’re so ball-dominant and they create so many chances that he still manages to be unbelievable.
“He wants to run in behind more, I think that’s what he wants to do most, and City are not a team that plays that ball that early. I think he’s having to be more of a target man at times now, that’s something he’s having to improve.”
MCN view: There was logic to concerns
King’s concerns weren’t the most outlandish thing in the world. In some games last season Haaland barely touched the ball, and there’s no doubt he can improve his build-up play.
However, so long as he continues to find the back of the net, Guardiola is unlikely to loose too much sleep.
