Red Bull Salzburg head coach Jesse Marsch believes teenage sensation Erling Haaland has all the qualities needed to become “one of the best players in the world”.
The 19-year-old striker has lit up Europe this season, scoring a remarkable 40 goals in 33 appearances, including 10 in the Champions League.
He moved from Salzburg to Borussia Dortmund in January and has continued his sensational form with a record-breaking start to life in the Bundesliga.
However, there is no ill feeling from Marsch towards his former player for leaving the club, with the American highlighting all Haaland’s qualities and claiming that he will be “fun to watch in the coming years”.
“First, his physical qualities, his speed, his power, he can get to top speed from like one step, his size, all of these things for me put him right away in the upper echelon of players,” Marsch told ESPN FC on YouTube. “He’s got the potential to be one of the best players in the world.”
Beyond these physical attributes, the Salzburg boss highlighted one quality that sets Haaland apart. “What makes Erling so special is his mentality,” he added.
“To start with, he was in the youth World Cup, he scored nine goals in one game. We gave every one of our players who had international obligations three weeks off before they were supposed to come with us. Erling had six days off and then said 'no, I want to come to camp’.
“Erling came to Salzburg last winter, he played one game in spring, so he had a lot of sitting on the bench. He was so keen to start proving himself, right away I knew this kid had ambition and grind.
“In the first training sessions, you could see his competitiveness. He was often the first guy at training and the last one to leave. There were days when I had to tell him to go home and rest.
“He's fearless, he's competitive, he's got a drive to get better, he's equipped with so many qualities that make him very different and special, along with the ability and pure talent, he'll be fun to watch in the coming years, that's for sure.”
