Haaland embracing life out his ‘comfort zone’

Erling Haaland has warned the contenders to Manchester City’s title that he will only improve in the competitive environment of English football as the Norwegian prepares for his Premier League debut away to West Ham on Sunday.

Haaland is the marquee arrival to the Premier League from over £1 billion ($1.2 billion) spent by the 20 top-flight English clubs so far this summer.

The 22-year-old had his pick of top clubs after scoring 86 goals in 89 games for Borussia Dortmund, but said the demands of playing under Pep Guardiola was behind his reason for choosing City.

“As a young player, playing for Pep Guardiola, playing for the best club in England, I have to keep developing and get better at a lot of things,” Haaland told Sky Sports.

“That’s what I like a lot about football, you can always develop, you can always get better at the game.”

The English champions are already Haaland’s fifth club after spells at Bryne, Molde and Red Bull Salzburg before joining Dortmund.

“Part of the game is to get out of your comfort zone which is something I’ve been doing and something I like because then you develop more as a human being as well,” he added.

“I’m a player that’s hungry for goals, that gives 100 per cent, that wants to win every single game. They are simple things but also really important things.”

After the hype around his arrival, Haaland had a debut to forget, missing a glorious chance towards the end of City’s 3-1 defeat to Liverpool in the Community Shield on Saturday.

However, he said he will not let that affect him as he prepares to make his first Premier League appearance this weekend.

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“You are a kind of entertainer. You get judged every single week for what you do on the pitch and you have to deliver and do your best,” he said.

“For me as a striker, this is something I cannot stress about because if you think too much, you might end up doing things you don’t want to do.

“It’s going to be tough and this is the charming thing about the Premier League. It’s a beautiful, hard competition, that’s why it’s the most popular league in the world.”