Virgil van Dijk Speaks On Erling Haaland’s Manchester City Debut Lavishing Praise On The £54 Million Summer Signing

Aug 1, 2022 at 2:57 PM

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Virgil van Dijk Speaks On Erling Haaland’s Manchester City Debut Lavishing Praise On The £54 Million Summer Signing

Erling Haaland’s Manchester City debut turned out be a not-so-stellar one as the English champions failed to overcome FA Cup holders Liverpool in the Community Shield.

However, his stern opponent Virgil van Dijk has predicted Haaland will make a strong comeback once the new season kick-in.

The Liverpool defender managed to contain Haaland’s threat throughout the 90 minutes as the Reds defeated City 3-1 to take home the Shield.

Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland missed a golden opportunity to open his account for Manchester City against Liverpool. Image Credits: Twitter

But Van Dijk has dismissed the early banter of Haaland being a flop at star-studded City. The Norwegian failed to get on the score-sheet as another exciting summer acquisition Julian Alvarez bagged City’ only response.

“He will make defenders’ lives horrible”- says Van Dijk of Erling Haaland

Though the former Dortmund striker missed the target several times, including an open net, Van Dijk is still relishing the forthcoming encounters against Erling Haaland.

The Liverpool center-back said, “The focus is always the same for every striker.

“He obviously has a lot of qualities that can make life difficult for defenders. He will make defenders’ lives in England horrible!

“He’s so direct. He has everything; he can head the ball, he’s quick. But today we kept him at bay. He had one chance, well two chances, but other than that we did well together.”

Erling Haaland
Despite Erling Haaland failing to hit the target on his Man City debut, Virgil van Dijk had words of full of praise for the striker. Image Credits: Twitter

While Haaland couldn’t manage to score, his Liverpool counterpart Darwin Nunez did find the back of the net coming-off the bench.

Nunez became Liverpool’s record signing after he made the switch from Benfica for a fee of £85 million. His arrival has set the stage for a battle between two of the most young and exciting strikers in Europe.

However, as history tells the English top flight hasn’t always been kind to many of the prolific strikers. Alvaro Morata, Radamel Falcao, Gonzalo Higuain, Diego Forlan, Andriy Shevchenko are just some of the names who failed to make deliver in the Premier League.

Van Dijk was further asked about what advice he would like to share with Haaland in order to help him get ready for the Premier League. The Dutch captain replied, “Well, I’m not going to give him too much advice! But obviously, he will know that he has to focus on his own game and not what others have to say.”

However, he added that same is the case for their big-money signing Darwin Nunez, who will feel the pressure to deliver for the Reds.

“There is pressure on players who are coming in with a big price tag, but what can you do? You come in to perform, and the club pays a transfer fee for you. You just have to work, and in his case try to score as many goals as possible.

“That’s the same for Darwin in our case.”

Van Dijk and Haaland next face each other on October 16 when Liverpool host City at the Anfield in the Premier League.

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