Erling Haaland made his Man City debut, and Pep Guardiola praised him for being "active." J. Grealish

 

Pep Guardiola says that even though Erling Haaland of Manchester City scored on his debut, he still needs more time to reach his full potential.

Haaland, who signed a five-year contract with the Premier League winners last month, scored the game-winning goal in the club's 1-0 preseason victory over Bayern Munich after only 12 minutes of play.

While praising the 22-year-instinct old's for poaching, Guardiola noted that the Norwegian international will need time and rigorous training in order to get in top shape for life in the Premier League due to previous "niggles."

Guardiola commented following the Wisconsin game, "He scored a goal, which is crucial." These goals in front of the goalie are always met by his presence.

"He needs more rhythm and time in the early minutes, but he already had 45 minutes, which is wonderful for him.

We'll watch to see how he handles the discomforts he had in the preceding weeks. He just completed four or five training sessions; he need weeks. Once we return, we have many weeks to prepare for each weekend game. We shall achieve our finest shape throughout those two to three weeks.

Jack Grealish's deft movement and pass from the left wing set up Haaland's close-range strike, and even if the £100 million player was occasionally used sparingly in his debut City season, Guardiola loves what he has seen from the England international in the lead-up to the 2022–23 season.

Guardiola remarked, "He arrived smart with a good mentality—aggressive." He performed quite well.

On Saturday, Aug. 7, City will travel to West Ham United to start their Premier League championship defence before taking on FA Cup champions Liverpool in the Community Shield.