Pep Guardiola has named three players who can replace Erling Haaland after he scored his seventh Premier League hat-trick on Saturday.
After scoring his first goal of the year against Chelsea the previous week, Haaland scored three goals in the 4-1 victory over Ipswich Town.
The Norwegian superstar has scored 94 goals in 101 games for the club, including 10 hat-tricks while wearing a City shirt.
Haaland is rejuvenated and primed to win the Premier League Golden Boot for a record-tying third season after a full preseason.
Due to a foot injury, he did miss a portion of the previous campaign. This time, Julian Alvarez, who moved to Atletico Madrid for £81 million, is not available for replacement for City.
Even though City wants to compete on all fronts, they aren’t anticipated to hunt for a new striker. However, Guardiola thinks Ilkay Gundogan, Phil Foden, and James McAtee can all fill in.
Before Haaland arrived, City had been using a false nine for about two seasons, with players like Foden, Gundogan, and Kevin De Bruyne filling in.
Also Read: Businesses owned by Erling Haaland | Earnings from sponsors and brands
“Erling cannot play every game,” Guardiola told beIN Sports. The absence of Oscar Bobb is a big, big blow.
“But Phil (Foden) can play there, close to the box. (James) McAtee can play there, because he’s really good in these spaces, and even Gundo can play there.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen at the end of the market, but I think we’re going to continue in that way.”
Also Read: This player has a better G/A ratio than Messi and Ronaldo in the 21st century
In the same interview, Guardiola was asked if Haaland is the most complete centre-forward he had seen.
The Catalan, however, vehemently disagreed and brought up eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi instead.
“The most incredible forward that has ever seen is Messi,” Guardiola admitted.
“I never saw something like that.”
