Erling Haaland: Ally McCoist has no worries about Manchester City striker - 'He will be absolutely fine'

Erling Haaland has come under fire in recent days but TNT Sports expert Ally McCoist has moved to allay concerns about the Manchester City star's form.

In his post-match analysis of City's goalless draw with title rivals Arsenal last Sunday, Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane described Haaland's performance as "almost a League Two player".

Haaland had missed a glaring chance in the dying embers of that match, which perhaps summed up what had been an ineffective display.

With 30 goals in all competitions this term, Haaland is 22 short of last season's total. But he is still currently the Premier League's top scorer with 18, and his strikes have helped keep City on track to replicate their Treble-winning success of 2022/23.

"If I was Erling Haaland, I wouldn’t be worried too much. I don’t think he’ll be worried either," McCoist told TNT Sports.

"There have been one or two discussions, let’s say, in recent days about his level of performance when he doesn’t score. We know he’s the best in the business in what he does and that’s putting the ball in the back of the net.

"Of that, in my opinion, there is no doubt. He scored 52 last season, sitting on 29 right now, 18 in the league [before City's 4-1 victory over Crystal Palace].

"He’ll be absolutely fine. All centre forwards go through a period where you won’t be scoring. It will not bother him in the slightest and he’ll be back doing what he does best, very soon."

Former Man City defender Joleon Lescott added: "I think it would be harsh to say he’s struggling. There are question marks about his all-round game, which probably leaves room for improvement being so young, but in terms of a striker, I still think he’s the most prolific in the world."

Pep Guardiola had previously weighed into the discussion surrounding Haaland's form, with the City manager jumping to the defence of the 23-year-old.

"He's the best striker in the world," said Guardiola, who opted to rest Haaland for the 4-1 win over Aston Villa on Wednesday.

"He helped us win last season and the reason why we didn't create many answers from Erling is we need more presence in the final third with more people.

"We played an exceptional game; I reviewed the game against Arsenal but we just missed more people in the final third. The quality and different skillset we have, Haaland is exceptional."

City play Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League over two legs, both of which will be live on TNT Sports and discovery+. The Spanish giants will host the first leg on Tuesday, April 9, with the second leg taking place on Wednesday, April 17.

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