Manchester City have no excuses not to and win the Champions League now that Erling Haaland is at the club, ex-Manchester United defender Patrice Evra says.
The Norway sensation has netted 14 goals in 10 matches this season, three of them in Europe. His double against Sevilla saw him become the fastest player to reach 25 goals in the Champions League, doing so in just 20 outings.
A week later, he produced an incredible acrobatic finish to complete a late turnaround for City against Borussia Dortmund to ensure Pep Guardiola's went into October top of their group. Haaland has been backed to finish as the top scorer in both the Premier League and Champions League this season.
Last term, City’s inability to reach the final of the competition was blamed on the lack of a world class centre-forward. The previous year, they had lost to Chelsea in the final and started the match without a recognised striker with the ageing Sergio Aguero on the bench.
However the presence of Haaland means City have nowhere to hide this time around, according to Evra. Speaking to Betfair, he said: “He (Haaland) is a monster.
“He is using his physique, he's a killer in front of goal, he does the right movements, he's sharp for someone tall and strong. He's like a cat.
“He got them back on track and that's why he's a number nine, and this is a real number nine. City were winning the league without a striker, but in the Champions League they struggled, now I feel like they have no excuse.
“When they lost that final against Chelsea, Guardiola decided to play without any striker, now this won't happen again.”
Source: m.allfootballapp.com