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Former Premier League star Shaun Wright-Phillips reckons that Manchester City striker Erling Haaland's ability to score goals without making many touches with the ball is an art in itself.
Erling Haaland finished with the most goals in Europe last season as he recorded an impressive 52 strikes to his name in 53 games. The forward has taken up from where he left this term, with an impressive tally of 17 goals and four assists in 18 games already.
When asked to name what he admires the most about the Manchester City striker, Wright-Phillips pointed to his ability to score goals without making many touches.
"What really surprises me is how long he can go without touching the ball," the Englishman told The Sport Review on behalf of NewBettingOffers.co.uk. When I was playing, if a striker wasn’t getting the ball, they would drop deeper and deeper."
He added:
"Look at Harry Kane at Spurs around four years ago – everyone was saying he needed to be higher up the pitch."
"He was dropping deep because he wasn’t getting the supply. For Haaland to just go 25 minutes not touching the ball, then get one touch in the box and put it in the back of the net, I think that is an art in itself."
Wright-Phillips further praised Erling Haaland's confidence and elite mentality with which he takes his chances in the box.
"If you give him that chance, he will take it," he continued. "It doesn’t bother him if he misses. If he misses, he believes he will get another one and that one will go in. That’s the mentality he’s got. He doesn’t lose confidence, he just keeps going and going."
Erling Haaland finished second in the 2023 Ballon d'Or rankings behind Lionel Messi as he helped Manchester City win the treble last season.
Manchester City's Erling Haaland picks up a knock on international duty
The Manchester City striker played the second half in Norway's Euro qualifiers clash with Faroe Islands on Wednesday, November 15. Unfortunately, he ended up picking up a knock and was seen holding his leg. It was later confirmed that he suffered a recurrence of the ankle injury that has troubled him at club level this season.
As a result of the setback, the striker missed his nation's 3-3 with Scotland on Sunday. However, the injury is said not to be serious and the player could return to action this week, as per Manchester Evening News.
Pep Guardiola's men are set to go head-to-head with Liverpool in the Premier League in a top-of-the-table clash at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. The Cityzens currently lead the table and are a point above second-placed Liverpool and third-placed Arsenal.
