Pep Guardiola declares Erling Haaland as the successor to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for the goalscoring throne

Erling Haaland's goal-scoring stats at the age of 24 are simply astonishing! (Image credits - Heute, License Details)

As Manchester City brace themselves to face a topsy-turvy Liverpool side, their star no. 9, Erling Haaland, continues to break records on a daily basis and shows no signs of stopping. 

The Norwegian international bagged a sensational brace against Bournemouth last week, taking his tally to 17 goals this season in just 13 games. The Citizens will be hoping that their goal machine continues his “Messi-like” form and helps them close the gap with Arsenal on top, who dropped points against Sunderland on Saturday.

Man City boss Pep Guardiola heaped praise on his striker, declaring him the successor to the greatest ever to play this game, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, comparing his astonishing goal-scoring numbers and impact on both club and country.

“Have you seen his numbers? The difference is that Messi and Cristiano have been doing it for 15 years, and they are still scoring in the United States and Saudi Arabia,” said the Spanish coach ahead of the clash against the Reds'. (sic)

Haaland, 24, has bagged 142 goals and 21 assists in just 160 appearances for Manchester City, averaging 0.89 goals per 90 minutes. This is the first time in Premier League history a goal scorer is delivering in such astonishing numbers day in, day out.

Guardiola has admitted that he is one of the very few players who is capable of filling the void left by the two GOATs of the game.

"Erling is at that level, yes. He knows he is going to score. He has that hunger. It's incredible to work with him. Sometimes I'm hard on him, and I tell him he must improve, but he's open to that, and not all players are. “Without him, it would be very tough,” said Guardiola, acknowledging his importance to Man City. (sic)