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Haaland names Premier League team he’s looking forward to facing most

Phenomenal
Phenomenal

Mueez Ajao

– Erling Haaland was unveiled as a Manchester City player on Sunday — and immediately targeted arch-rivals Manchester United.

– The 21-year-old joined the club from Borussia Dortmund in a €60 million deal last month as one of four summer signings announced to hundreds of fans gathered outside Etihad Stadium.

– And when asked which team he was looking forward to playing against the most, Haaland replied: “I don’t want to say the words, but … Manchester United.”

Also Read: Haaland to wear number 9 for Man City

– Haaland was linked with a move to Old Trafford at one stage, but his father, Alf-Inge, played for City in the early 2000s and he admitted owning T-shirts of Sergio Aguero, claiming the club’s all-time top goalscorer is a role model for him.

– But when explaining why he chose to join City, the Norway forward recalled an experience with Dortmund against Pep Guardiola’s side in last year’s Champions League quarterfinals.

– “You see something on TV and when you actually meet it is it completely different,” he said. “I got a feeling of that. Suddenly I didn’t touch the ball for 25 minutes in the game. I was like, ‘Please, [Ilkay] Gundogan, stop playing tiki-taka all the time.'”

– “It is a different level, I have to say. How they approach the game, how they play, how they create chances. That’s what I want to be a part of.

– “In the end, I just had a feeling in my stomach. The feeling, the way they play, everything, I just had a feeling for City.”

– Haaland played down pressure on him to help City retain the Premier League crown and end their wait for a maiden Champions League trophy.

– “With me as a striker, I want to have fun. When I have fun, I score goals. I smile, I enjoy playing football and everything. In the end I just hope to smile a lot,” he said.

– “It is a big challenge, a new country, a new league, new coach, new everything. But I know how it is to come to a new club. I’ve done it a couple of times before. So I am really looking forward to it.”

– Haaland was unveiled alongside Julian Alvarez, Stefan Ortega Moreno and Kalvin Phillips, although Phillips was unable to attend the event in person due to illness.

– Alvarez, a €17m acquisition from River Plate, outlined his desire to follow his country’s predecessors — including Aguero, Pablo Zabaleta, Carlos Tevez and Nicolas Otamendi.

– “Manchester City has a lot of history with Argentinean players before I came here to create my own history, to reach the top and continue my own path,” Alvarez said.

– “Playing a lot and contributing with my game, I want to win trophies, I want to win the Premier League, the Champions League and all the trophies possible.”

– Backup goalkeeper Ortega Moreno, who signed on a free transfer from Arminia Bielefeld, said: “I see a big chance here for me to collect new experiences. My old club is not a big club in Germany, so this year is a really big chance to play for one of the best clubs in the world. I will try to push Ederson to a new level.”

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