Manchester United legend snubs Erling Haaland in Premier League rankings | OneFootball

Manchester United and England legend Wayne Rooney has omitted Erling Haaland when naming his top three players in the Premier League so far this season.

There are a multitude of options to pick from when it comes to standout players in the Premier League thus far in all areas of the pitch. Whether that be Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhães and his defensive dominance or Antoine Semenyo and his eye-catching displays for Bournemouth, the Premier League is steeped with world-class talents.

One of those being, most notably, Manchester City’s relentless talisman Erling Haaland, who is producing impressive numbers so far this term for Pep Guardiola’s side with 19 goals and one assist in all competitions for the residents of the Etihad Stadium.

With 15 of those club level goal contributions coming in the Premier League, the Norwegian has certainly hit the ground running domestically.

Manchester United and footballing legend Wayne Rooney, however, did not see it fit to include the division’s top scorer in his trio of outstanding players in the Premier League so far this campaign.

After the conclusion of the final international interval of the year, which saw Erling Haaland net four more goals for his nation, all eyes reverted back to the upcoming return of domestic action.

Before the Premier League resumes, English football legend Wayne Rooney was asked about who he believed, with 11 matches having been played, has shone on the pitch amongst this league of exceptional players.

In an interview with Amazon Prime Video Sport, the former Manchester United and England frontman gave his thoughts on who he believed to be having a brilliant start to the 2025-26 season. Rather surprisingly, though, Manchester City’s in-form number nine was, perhaps surprisingly, not in the conversation.

Rooney instead named other stars who have proven slightly divisive on social media. One name in particular he rightfully gave plaudits to was talented winger Antoine Semenyo of Bournemouth, who has had a superb start to the new term.

“I think he’s been great for Bournemouth, carrying on his form from last season,” Rooney said.

“I’d also think I’d put Bryan Mbeumo in there. I think he’s been really good for Man United, even after a difficult start for the club. I think he’s been really good. For the third one, I’d probably go with Viktor Gyokeres.”

Rooney, without a doubt, praised some excellent players, but given the fact that Erling Haaland is scoring goals in the fashion he is, the exclusion of the Norwegian from the conversation may be somewhat controversial.