Erling Haaland completes his transfer to Manchester City later this summer and Dimitar Berbatov is predicting for how the 21-year-old will get on in England.
Berbatov does not want Erling Haaland to experience the same issues Jadon Sancho endured when he moved to the Premier League from Borussia Dortmund last summer.
The Norwegian international’s £51-million move to Manchester City is cast in concrete on July 1 – almost a year after Sancho joined Manchester United from the same club. It was clear that Sancho struggled to adapt to English football, scoring just five goals in 38 appearances for the Red Devils in all competitions.
Haaland crosses the threshold into City having blitzed an amazing86 goals in 89 matches for Dortmund over the past two-and-a-half years. Although Pep Guardiola’s side have just lifted the Premier League title, they will no doubt have their eyes fully fixated on the Champions League next season – a competition Haaland has scored plenty of goals in over the years.
Former United and Tottenham forward Berbatov harbors no doubts the former Molde prospect will prove to be an immense success at the Etihad Stadium but has some niggardly concerns he could struggle initially when reflecting on Sancho’s experience.
He told Betfair: “I’m excited to see Erling Haaland in the Premier League. When I watch a game I’m looking to see who the strikers are because I want to see entertainment and goals. At the moment, Haaland and Mbappe are the players to watch. Haaland is young and, under Guardiola, he can grow.
“I’m curious to see how he is going to fit into the City team. He is a number nine, but it will be interesting to see if Guardiola has different ideas about him and how he approaches games. Haaland is not only about goals, he has other really strong qualities that he brings to the game.
“Look at what Guardiola did with Gabriel Jesus. He put him out on the right and he’s been doing really well. I really like to see this kind of thing, it’s a masterclass of knowing your players and persuading them to believe in you. Maybe Guardiola will come up with a different way of playing Haaland, surprising the opposition in the process, that would be great to see.
“I have one or two concerns about how he is going to adapt in the Premier League, but this is purely based on former-Dortmund player Jadon Sancho’s problems this season at United.
“United spend so much money spent on Sancho, with great expectations, and he can do so much more. That’s why it’s got me thinking. The Bundesliga is great, and a great place to start. It’s where I started before I moved to Spurs.
“When I came to England, it took me a while to get used to the tempo. I hope that Haaland has been speaking with Sancho and other players and has been learning a few things to avoid the mistakes that others have made.
“People are expecting so much from Haaland, a hat-trick every game! He will be judged by the goals he scores, every striker is unfortunately.”