It took Erling Haaland just 12 minutes to show what he can add to the Premier League champions.
For all the silly talk of Bundesliga tax and everything else, those that know the Manchester City signing better than most noted that most of his goals came with his first touch in the box or tap-ins. As if by magic, his first strike as a Blue was to turn home Jack Grealish's cross in the six-yard box in what turned out to be the only goal against Bayern Munich (who are no mugs, by the way.)
As delighted as Pep Guardiola will have been, he was also keen to strike a(nother) note of caution. Never mind the expectations on Haaland's shoulders, City are keen to manage the burden on the 22-year-old's body as he transitions from being the main man to Dortmund to the figurehead of a team that plays even more games in a more intense league.
Also read: Pep Guardiola rates Erling Haaland debut for Man City
Haaland was withdrawn at the break in Green Bay and it may be a while before he is blasting through 90 minutes every three days. "He has to be who he is. He is always there with a sense of goal, with space behind he has rhythm," said the manager.
"But this is just the first 40 minutes he has played, he made just four or five training sessions. He needs weeks, he's not like Phil Foden for example, who can have two days of training sessions and then play 180 minutes.
"He's big, he needs more time — but we have a long week after the Community Shield and a long week after West Ham. They will be important to get his best condition, but it is important for strikers to start scoring goals."
If that is something of a reality check for anyone expecting Haaland to be firing on all cylinders from the beginning, it is also good news for Foden coming in from the Croatian cold. The England international has been training with the Under-23s over the past week after not being able to enter the United States.
Foden (and John Stones and, to a lesser extent, Ilkay Gundogan) have missed out on a crucial chunk of pre-season and in a Guardiola team it does not take much to lose your place in the team given the quality running through the rest of the squad. However, Foden's ability to get up to speed so quickly and run himself into the ground twice a week for the team will go in his favour as the manager plans for the opening weeks of the campaign.
Those three players will have a few days before the Community Shield against Liverpool when they join up with the rest of the squad in Manchester ahead of the traditional curtain-raiser. Those sesssions could be all Foden needs to put himself back into the frame for a starring role against Liverpool and/or West Ham.
Haaland will obviously stay in the team as and when City feel he is fully ready, but in the meantime Foden's natural fitness can work to his advantage.
ALSO READ:
