Phil Foden has credited Erling Haaland with helping Manchester City find ‘a different way to play’ and insisted the Norwegian striker has been a ‘pleasure to play with’ since arriving from Borussia Dortmund.
Haaland arrived at City last summer after completing a £54million transfer and hit the ground running. He’s already broken City’s single-season scoring record with 42 goals in 37 games.
Foden says he feels ‘lucky’ to train and play alongside Haaland. He went on to say Haaland’s inclusion in the City squad ‘is good for the team’ and that his presence will help them in the future.
Speaking after City’s FA Cup triumph over Burnley, Foden said: ‘It’s a pleasure [to play with Haaland], I don’t know how he does it. The one that I hit off the post, he always seems to be in the right place, expecting things, little ricochettes and things like that.
‘The way his brain works, he always seems to be in the right place to finish the ball, and to play with a player like that it’s always a massive boost for us because when it’s a tight game and it’s 0-0 and there’s not a lot of chances we’ve been relying on him to get us a goal and it’s a real pleasure to play with him.’
Foden went on to add: ‘He’s [Haaland] helped us in a way of finding a different way to play.
‘In previous years we didn’t really have a striker and now he’s here we’ve adapted a little bit and we’re even still getting used to him now so it’s good for the team and it’s only going to help us in the future.
‘It makes my job easier being an attacking player and looking at someone that wants to score goals and is always ready and in the box it makes it a lot easier.’
Foden went on to speak about the similarities between Haaland and Harry Kane, claiming they are ‘both unbelievable players’.
‘They’re both unbelievable,’ he said. ‘When I see them both in training and they both finish most of their chances I feel lucky sometimes to play with these players and see them up close and when no one sees them in training and the things they do, it’s just a pleasure and I enjoy it, every moment.’
However, City could be without Haaland further down the line as his next move looks to have been already planned out, with his agent Rafaela Pimenta confirming that it would be a dream for Haaland to sign for Real Madrid.
The super agent believes the Spanish club still have the magic that players find difficult to turn down. Speaking at FT Business of Football summit in London, she said: ‘There is the Premier League. And there is Real Madrid.
‘Real Madrid has something of its own that makes it the Dreamland for the players. Madrid keeps this magic going. It doesn’t have the league competition but it does have the Champions League.’
SOURCE: dailymail.co.uk
