Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Alex Brotherton

Erling Haaland lifts lid on Man City training sessions under Pep Guardiola

Erling Haaland said the quality on show in Manchester City's training sessions is "something else", as Riyad Mahrez said he is confident the Blues' style of play won't change following the arrival of the Norwegian.

City completed the £51m signing of the 22-year-old striker last month, and the weeks since have been filled with speculation about how he will fit into Pep Guardiola's title-winning side.

This week Haaland sat out City's opening pre-season friendly of the summer with some minor discomfort, a 2-1 defeat of Club America in which fellow new recruit Julian Alvarez impressed up-front. Haaland is expected to feature against Bayern Munich on Saturday, as City up their preparations ahead of a Community Shield meeting with Liverpool next weekend.

READ MORE: 'It might bring a tear to my eye' — Meet City's global fans trekking to see them in Green Bay

The match against the German giants will offer a first insight into how Guardiola will use Haaland. Speaking ahead of the game, Mahrez had no doubts that Haaland will fit in well.

"He’s a very good addition to the team. Like I have already said, he’s a very good player and he's young," Mahrez said of Haaland.

The Algerian showed just why City offered him a two-year contract extension last week by brilliantly setting up Kevin De Bruyne to score in the Club America win, but he was honest when asked if he'll be able to strike up an instant partnership with Haaland.

Mahrez added: "It’ll be good to have him. I don't know until we start playing games together - we will see [about the connection]. It’s different qualities than Raheem [Sterling] and Gabriel [Jesus], but it won't change the way we play. We have been playing like this under Pep since he arrived at Manchester City. Players have come in and gone. It’s different quality but it won't change the way we play."

Haaland himself certainly sees no issues in how he and City will fit together. "Really good," he told club media when asked if Guardiola’s approach was a good fit for him. "I’m looking forward to [being part of] it. It’s going to be nice. It’s some good training sessions. The quality is something else."

ALSO READ:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.