Pundit Stuart Pearce has claimed that Kevin De Bruyne’s absence will have a big impact on how Erling Haaland plays for Manchester City.
The Citizens have been dealt a big blow after it was revealed that the midfielder will now be out of action for four months as a result of having surgery on a hamstring issue he picked up during the 3-0 win over Burnley last week.
With the Manchester club now set to carry on their season without the 32-year-old for the next few months, one pundit and former City manager has claimed that one figure in Pep Guardiola’s squad could be facing a big problem now that De Bruyne will not be in the team for a while.
Pearce says Haaland will have a problem with De Bruyne’s absence
Speaking on talkSPORT ahead of tonight’s league clash at the Etihad Stadium against Newcastle United, Pearce had this to say on the matter.
He said: “With Manchester City losing De Bruyne for a length of time I think that will impact directly on Haaland as well, so I think that will hurt them a lot so that’s probably why I’m looking at Newcastle [to win the league].”
Bearing in mind how the duo racked up 15 joint goal participations last season, this highlights the connection and the chemistry they have with each other on the pitch in an attacking sense.
Therefore, it’s easy to see why Pearce thinks De Bruyne’s absence may impact the amount of goals the Norwegian, who City paid £51m to sign last summer, could score over the next few months.
Moving forward, the trick for Haaland now will be to make sure he can connect with the other players around him in the City team and continue to score as many goals as he can, starting tonight against Eddie Howe’s side.
