Erling Haaland lauds ‘unbelievable’ Manchester City teammate after Manchester United win | OneFootball

Manchester City forward Erling Haaland singled out one of his teammates for praise after his side’s comfortable 3-0 triumph over local rivals Manchester United on Sunday.

Haaland scored twice either side of half-time after Phil Foden’s 18th minute opener at the Etihad Stadium to spearhead Manchester City to a much-needed return to winning ways after recent league defeats to Tottenham and Brighton.

City looked like the international break came at a very good point for the new-look dressing room, which has experienced significant upheaval in the summer transfer window in the form of several new incomings and a host of senior first-team starts departing.

Gianluigi Donnarumma stepped into goal a fortnight after signing a five-year contract at the Etihad Stadium, with James Trafford dropped to the bench in favour of Manchester City’s £26 million deadline day signing from Paris Saint-German.

City made a blistering start to the derby and looked wounded and desperate for revenge for last season’s injury-time defeat to Manchester United, with Haaland nearly scoring within 20 seconds after being slipped in by Jeremy Doku.

Doku enjoyed one of his best games in a Manchester City shirt, setting up Foden for the opener before playing a delicately-weighted pass behind the Manchester United backline for Haaland to dink the ball over Altay Bayindir and double the hosts’ advantage after 53 minutes.

Since his arrival to the Etihad Stadium from Borussia Dortmund in 2022, Haaland has received criticism from pundits and fans alike over a supposed ineptness in his link-up play and ability to contribute to Manchester City’s buildup play.

However, the Norway international silenced all his doubters at the weekend as he inspired Manchester City to a dominant victory, being a menace for the Manchester United defence and having a field day against the likes of Lenny Yoro, Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire.

Speaking in a post-match interview with Manchester City’s official channels, Haaland was quick to extol the virtues of Donnarumma, who produced a commanding display between the sticks on his Manchester City and Premier League debut.

“He was unbelievable. Don’t forget about him,” Haaland said in a tribute to Donnarumma, whom the Norwegian is believed to share a strong relationship with from before the Italian’s recent move to England.

Haaland and Donnarumma shared public messages of camaraderie after the latter’s transfer to the Etihad Stadium was confirmed on deadline day, with Donnarumma reacting to Haaland’s welcome post with a caption that read: “We will finally play together, brother.”

Donnarumma produced an assured performance in net for a Manchester City side that has looked shaky in defence in recent games, notably keeping out a powerful Bryan Mbuemo volley in the second-half with a world-class right hand that prompted the likes of Haaland, Rodri and Ruben Dias to high-five their new teammate and congratulate him on the save.