Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has already fired a warning to Erling Haaland on Man City move
If Manchester United had a stronger season, they might have beaten off close rivals Manchester City to sign Erling Haaland.
This summer, the Norwegian international will leave Borussia Dortmund for the Etihad Stadium rather than Old Trafford.
While many believe the 21-year-old will be a Premier League success, Cristiano Ronaldo has previously warned the striker about what it takes to become the finest on the world.
Manchester United missed out on Haaland in January 2020, when he chose to leave Red Bull Salzburg for Borussia Dortmund.
Now, following 85 goals in 88 games at the Westfalenstadion, the Norwegian international will join City in the Premier League.
Pep Guardiola will have a new striker next season after failing to replace Sergio Aguero when Harry Kane was unable to leave Tottenham.
Also, with Haaland, City now has the ideal antidote to Ronaldo at United.
The Portugal international is still going strong as he approaches the end of his career, having scored 24 goals this season in all competitions.
And he’s already cautioned Haaland that talent alone won’t make you a football hero.
Ronaldo was asked about Haaland and Paris Saint-Kylian Germain’s Mbappe in May of last year.
And he told them that they would have to work incredibly hard to realise their enormous potential and reach the same heights as himself and Lionel Messi.
“It is hard to choose just one player to say this one will be the best,” he said.
“But I think it is exciting to see this new generation of young players, like Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, who are coming through.
“Some players can have one or two great seasons, the really great players are the ones that keep doing it season after season, and that is not so easy to do.
“It takes a lot of hard work, and a lot of commitment.”
Ronaldo has risen to prominence via years of hard work.
That has led to him being one of the game’s all-time greats, with the veteran thriving at Manchester United, Sporting Lisbon, Real Madrid, and Juventus over the years.
It will now be interesting to observe how Haaland does around Manchester.
The Dortmund striker is undoubtedly the world’s most exciting young forward, scoring at an alarming rate in recent years.
However, the Premier League is not the same as the Bundesliga, and Haaland will need to work hard to improve in the coming years.
Manchester United want to acquire a new striker this summer.
Though Ronaldo continues to score, the Red Devils recognise the need to lighten the pressure on the Portugal international’s shoulders.
As the summer transfer window approaches, several players are being connected.
Darwin Nunez of Benfica is one man on their radar, with the Uruguay international scoring 34 goals this season across all competitions.
Alexander Isak was expected to arrive earlier in the season, despite his struggles at Real Sociedad this season.
Lautaro Martinez, who shone for Inter Milan again this season, is another player on United’s wishlist.
Meanwhile, Jamie Carragher believes City’s acquisition of Haaland is fantastic news for the Premier League.
Speaking on Sky Sports ahead of Liverpool’s trip to Aston Villa, he said: “Brilliant signing, it really is. Not just for Man City, but for the Premier League.
“I think we’re all intrigued to see how he’ll do. Him and [Kylian] Mbappe feel like the next two superstars who are going to eclipse Messi and Ronaldo and you’re just delighted that he’s at the Premier League.
“More often than not, those type of players have gone to maybe a Barcelona or a Real Madrid, but I feel like now that the Premier League is the strongest league. You’ve seen how well we’ll done in the Champions League.
“He’ll score goals, that’s what he’s been bought to do, but it doesn’t guarantee that City will win everything.
“You still have to integrate him into the team. That means City will lose another creative player that helps them keep the ball more or have more control in games.
“There’s lots of questions that I’m already thinking of myself. We’ll be analysing his performances and how he fits it, but they had a world class striker in Sergio Aguero and they’ve got another one now.”
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Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has already fired a warning to Erling Haaland on Man City move
