Zack Steffen has now joked that he is not looking forward to facing Erling Haaland in Manchester City training.
The 28-year-old made the comment when speaking on Total Media’s #OnTheJudy Podcast.
So, what did Zack Steffen say about Erling Haaland? Let’s take a look…
What’s the story?
Well, the United States international has not actually come up against the Norway international in training yet.
Steffen joined Middlesbrough on loan for the 2022/23 campaign just as Haaland arrived in a £51.5m deal from Borussia Dortmund.
The American has since undergone knee surgery to fix a serious injury – meaning he is still yet to deal with one of the Norwegian’s shots in training.
However, Steffen does not seem too bothered by that fact.
The Manchester City No.13 said: “Thank God (I haven’t faced him yet). I would rather retire!”
Clearly, Haaland’s haul of 52 goals in just 53 games last season has struck fear into Steffen, who sounds more than happy to leave the task of saving his shots to Ederson, Stefan Ortega and Scott Carson.
Zack Steffen faces uncertain future at Manchester City
It remains to be seen what happens with Steffen – who also praised Riyad Mahrez – once he fully recovers from injury.
As aforesaid, the American now has Ortega to compete with alongside Ederson and Carson – who were already at the Etihad Stadium before Steffen moved to Middlesbrough on loan last season.
Ederson and Ortega represent two of the best goalkeeping options for any individual club across Europe, and both are rarely injured, meaning Steffen faces an uphill task to get any game time under Pep Guardiola.
The Pennsylvania-born glovesman will also have just 12 months remaining on his contract at the end of the season, which will be Manchester City’s last chance to sell for a fee before he can negotiate a free transfer agreement in January 2025.
Be sure to keep an eye on Steffen’s situation, as his future is very unclear.
