Erling Haaland arrived at Manchester City with a big reputation early in the summer, but it's safe to say that the striker has already managed to exceed expectations at the Etihad Stadium.
Having scored 13 goals in nine games, Haaland is on track to break the record for the most goals in a Premier League season (34) and most goals in a debut Premier League season (24). Perhaps more significantly for City fans, he has enjoyed a better start to life at City than club legend Sergio Aguero; the Argentine scored eight goals in his first seven outings.
Much was made before the start of the season about how Haaland would adapt to City's style of play, and vice versa. Clearly he has not had too many problems, but the difference he is making to City's attack is obvious.
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Shaun Wright-Phillips, who spent nine years in City's first team across two separate spells, has seen Haaland's impact in the flesh. As a regular guest on City Matchday Live he picked apart the 22-year-old's performances in details, and feels like the striker is giving City exactly what they lacked last season.
"All of his goals have mainly been in the box or in between the penalty spot and the goal line which was a crucial part to what City were missing last season," the City fan favourite told the Manchester Evening News on behalf of ThePuntersPage.
"If you go back to the game against Crystal Palace last year, where City lost having had a man sent off, they still created a lot of chances that day. If you look at the game this season, they had the same number of chances but ended up winning 4-2.
"That shows you what Haaland has been bought for and what he's capable of in this team. I still think they haven't clicked fully yet with him in the side, it's scary to think how good he, and City, can really be."
Not only is Haaland's positioning and goal threat good for City, it's good for his teammates' performances and confidence. As a former winger, Wright-Phillips knows the importance of that.
"As a winger or a midfielder who finds themselves in those wide positions, if they cross the ball they know there will be someone busting a gut to get on the end of those deliveries.
"More times than not, at the moment, those seem to end up in the back of the net so you would expect balls to keep coming in those areas."
Inevitably, conversations about Haaland don't get very far without the 'c' word making an appearance. City have come close to breaking their Champions League duck in recent seasons, but they haven't quite managed to get over the line.
Europe's premier club competition is a notoriously cruel mistress, with the finest of margins making a huge difference. City will be hoping Haaland can help take them all the way this season, but in the Champions League there are no guarantees.
"City are better equipped with Haaland, but at the same time I wouldn't say they haven't been in the past," said Shaun.
"In that Real Madrid game last season, they had a lot of chances to put the game to bed and they just didn't have that luck. Courtois made a great save from Grealish in the second leg before Real Madrid turned it around, so there were chances for City to win that tie.
"Obviously Haaland has been brought in to score those goals in the big moments, so I do think he's been bought to try and help them cross that line and win that Champions League."
There will no doubt be plenty of pressure placed on Haaland's shoulders should City reach the latter stages of this year's competition, but as he has shown throughout his still fledgling career, he's capable of handling it.
Like Wright-Phillips, Haaland's dad - Alfie - was a professional footballer. While their positions are different, Wright-Phillips believes having a relative who has been through similar experiences provides invaluable support.
"In respects of the mental side of the game in terms of injuries and any challenges ahead, I think it's a massive help. To have somebody else who has played and has dealt with those setbacks is something you can lean on, especially if you're not dealing with it well yourself. It keeps you on the right track mentally knowing you have that support."
As Guardiola has been at pains to point out in recent weeks, the success of his team does not solely rely on Haaland, far from it. But as Wright-Phillips pointed out, the Blues are surely a more formidable team with him in the squad. That's how things look so far anyway.
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