Erling Haaland has revealed one of the most important factors behind his successful first season at Manchester City.
It seemed inevitable that Haaland was going to score goals at the Etihad Stadium, but few predicted that he would set the Premier League alight in the way that he has.
Since arriving from Borussia Dortmund for £51m last summer, the striker has scored 36 goals in 34 league outings and helped fire City to a third consecutive league title.
Haaland broke the record for the most goals scored by a player in a single Premier League campaign, and in all competitions, his goal-scoring has been remarkable.
With 52 goals in 50 games he looks unlikely to beat Dixie Dean’s all-time record, but Haaland could still finish the season with FA Cup and Champions League winners’ medals.
Haaland’s on-pitch integration into the City team this season has been well-documented and is something Pep Guardiola must take a lot of credit for.
Behind the scenes chemistry
However, the 22-year-old attacker has revealed that the chemistry in the squad and the atmosphere within the club has been a major factor in him settling in to life at City.
“It’s not going not bad,” Haaland told Sky Sports when asked how he would describe his first season in Manchester.
“It’s been an unreal year so far, from the very start. One thing is the football we play, another is wanting to come into the facilities every single day, working with others, staying focussed.
“It’s such a nice group with the players and staff and everyone around. It wouldn’t be possible to achieve what we’ve been achieving so far if it wasn’t for that.
“To come into the club and to go hard directly, it wouldn’t be possible without the chemistry outside the pitch as well. That’s what I really appreciate most.
“One thing is there are so many world-class players around me, but the other thing is how good guys they really are, every single one of them. That’s a really important thing.”
For fresh reports emerging every few weeks about how long Haaland will stay at City, those words will be music to fans’ ears.