Manchester City must not rely on Erling Haaland to win the Premier League for them this season, says club legend Sergio Aguero.
City trail Arsenal by five points having played a game more, and face a real battle to secure a third successive league title. With Haaland, however, City have a 25-goal striker already, and the Norwegian has 31 goals in all competitions since joining in the summer.
If the Blues are to turn their current three-game winning streak into a longer run, then Haaland will be key to that. But Aguero has warned City not to place all their hopes on their new number nine, insisting only his friend Lionel Messi can win titles on his own.
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"We'll have to see that yet," Aguero told Stake regarding Haaland's ability to lead City to the title almost by himself. "There's still plenty the season to go. Haaland, who has been racking metrics that will break historical records, will play a major part of it.
"In any case, except Leo, there's no one player who can win a League on their own. It's about the team, and City's got a very talented roster and an exceptional staff. They've given plenty of evidence of their great stature, and you know they'll fight until the very end."
Aguero also insisted that City should not be written out of the title race by any stretch, noting that their experience over Arsenal could be crucial.
He explained: "I wouldn't go that Man City aren’t clicking. The Premier League is the most competitive league there is, and it's perfectly normal to see the top contenders get reinforcements and go back to their historical standards. It wouldn't be long for Arsenal or United to get back into the fold.
"The two of them suffered the aftermath of two very successful cycles – Wenger's and Ferguson's –, and now they've returned in force. City has won 4 out of the 5 last Premier Leagues. They're still in the fight, and that needs to be recognised. Prowling from the second position, ready to strike – anything can happen.
"Over the last few years, City have known how to keep on the pulse of the Premier League. We can't forget how our races with Liverpool over the last few years were decided by a razor-thin margin. City's experience on this will play a big part.
"As the leader, you can't shake off the feeling that there's a rival hot on your track, catching up to you. Arsenal's team is younger and will have to deal with that pressure. They are solid today, they are decided, but we'll have to watch until the final stretch. A good example is what happened to City in 2012, eight points below United, and we managed to lift up the trophy in the last leg."
"As things stand, it's going to either Arsenal, City or United. Newcastle can't be discounted either, they played a great first half of the tournament."
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