Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes compared Erling Haaland to Dutch legend Ruud van Nistelrooy after the Manchester City's fast start in the Premier League.
Haaland scored twice at reigning champions City won their opening game of the season at West Ham United. He converted a first-half penalty after being brought down by Hammers goalkeeper Alphonse Areola before making the points safe with a calm finish in the second 45.
Van Nistelrooy, like the Norway frontman, scored twice on his own Premier League debut back in 2001. The Netherlands international went on to score freely in a United shirt, and his former teammate Scholes has spotted some similarities after watching Haaland at work.
"He's such a young player, so confident," Scholes said on the Premier League Matchday Live show (via the Manchester Evening News ). "He reminds me so much of Ruud van Nistelrooy, such a ruthless finisher."
"When he gets through, you feel he's going to score and you feel he's not going to give the goalkeeper a chance. Even looking at his penalty, he was so certain about it, just a step up and bang into that bottom corner.
"It was a great debut, I thought it might take a bit of time but I was slightly wrong again, but this lad's got real quality, his goal-scoring, his movement. Imagine playing behind him!"
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Haaland drew a blank in the Community Shield as City lost to Liverpool, but quickly put that behind him. The 2-0 victory leaves City fourth in the league after the first full round of fixtures, and manager Pep Guardiola was full of praise for the former Borussia Dortmund star.
"I know how he handled a lot of criticism this week, he was really calm and trained really well," Guardiola said. "But the way he took the ball to take the penalty, I liked it. He’s direct and if someone is going to take his ball he will punch the faces of one of his mates. I’m pretty sure of that.
“It’s about confidence, ambition and mentality. That showed me. I liked it. And then of course he scored it."
Haaland, who turned 22 in July, already has more than 100 club career goals under his belt as well as 20 for the senior Norwegian side. After Scholes' comments, he may now wish to set his sights on Van Nistelrooy's target of 95 in the Premier League and 150 in 219 total appearances as a Manchester United player.
