Pep Guardiola fired a warning to Manchester City’s rivals after the club’s first match of a pre-season tour of Japan on Sunday, declaring star striker Erling Haaland was in “much better” shape than last season.
Haaland claimed a brace after coming on at half-time to help City roar back from two goals down and beat J-League champions Yokohama F-Marinos 5-3 in Tokyo.
The Norwegian struck 52 times in his debut season at City, including a single-season Premier League record of 36 goals.
READ ALSO: EPL: Why Ten Hag Chose Me As Captain — Bruno Fernandes
“Comparing last season in that period he’s fitter, much better than last season when he arrived,” Guardiola told reporters after the Tokyo match.
“Of course (he) looks good but (he) is still a way from the best condition, like everyone.”
As impressive as Haaland was in driving City towards their historic treble of Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League, however, the goals dried up for him at the end of the campaign.
READ ALSO: “I Could’ve Been A Footballer, I Used To Play For Arsenal” – Naira Marley
The striker, who turned 23 on Friday, failed to find the net for City in his last five appearances — the longest scoreless streak since he joined the club.
Trending video of the day;
Photo Credit: Getty