Rafael Van der Vaartformer Tottenham and Real Madrid playmaker, spoke talkSPORT of some current issues, without sparing some rather heavy judgments: “If we remove the speed, I see Erling Haaland as a normal player. Technically he is not good enough and he can get by when Manchester City are in form, but not when they are struggling. I think that he lacks something that the best top-level strikers have.
I could be criticized for this opinion, but I don’t see him at the same level as the top strikers I’ve played with, like Ruud van Nistelrooy. Manchester City needs Erling Haaland at the moment, but where is he? This is why I don’t consider him among those few truly world-class strikers.”
The former Premier League star added, speaking of City’s recent lack of consistency: “I think the intensity shown by Manchester City under Pep Guardiola for so many seasons is over. They look very tired to me. You can see it in their faces : Kevin De Bruyne, for example, doesn’t look fresh anymore. I’m not saying they should get rid of Pep, absolutely not, but they need to make the right choices in the transfer market: Ilkay Gundogan not it was what they had need this summer.”