Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, has said Erling Haaland’s anger at not scoring a hat-trick against West Ham, reminded him of Lionel Messi.
Haaland grabbed both goals as the Premier League champions began defence of their title with a 2-0 win at the London Stadium.
The Norway striker converted a first-half penalty, before running onto Kevin De Bruyne’s pass to complete a brace on his City debut.
In a post-match interview, Haaland said it was “a bit s***’” that he was unable to score one more, before being substituted in the closing stages.”
But Guardiola said the player’s reaction was what he would expect from a top player.
“I was fortunate to be with [Lionel] Messi.
“When he scores two, he wants three, when he scores three, he wants four. All the top players are the same.
“They are never satisfied, always hungry, starving for goals, and want more, but at same time, I have to use other players,” Guardiola said.