Erling Haaland has “a lot of margin to improve” with Manchester City, according to Pep Guardiola.
The Norwegian international moved from Borussia Dortmund to the Etihad Stadium ahead of the new season as a flagship for both the club and the Premier League.
Despite going scoreless in the Community Shield defeat to Liverpool, the Leeds-born star responded with a boost on his league debut for the club last weekend against West Ham.
However, for Guardiola, Haaland still has plenty of room to improve at City, suggesting he needs to work harder to find the ball and get going.
“In the process of scoring a goal, I don’t like the striker just waiting for the balls to come,” he said ahead of Saturday’s home clash with Bournemouth.
“If he wants to go down, he can. Erling has a lot of room for improvement. I wouldn’t say he’s done. He can be a better player and [he] has the will to do it.
“He likes to play football. [I’ve never seen] a player, [except maybe] [Lionel] Messi, who is the finished product. You can always improve.
“We’re going to try to make him a better player, all of our players have a big head start to be better. That’s why we’re here to try to help them.”
Guardiola also touched on the title rivalry his side have shared with Liverpool over the past few seasons, describing their relationship as something that pushes City forward to new heights each year.
“We were able to create this rivalry,” he added. “The biggest opponent we face is Liverpool [and] that’s an honour. A sport like this, individual [or] collective, you need someone to [make] you better.”
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