Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial could return for Manchester United against City on Sunday.
11.09.2022 - 17:33 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Had Manchester City's plans for the summer of 2021 come together successfully, then the Etihad Stadium might never have come to witness the goalscoring prowess of Erling Haaland.
The £51m signing of Haaland this summer brought an end to City's two-year hunt for a new striker, and it's fair to say that things have gone pretty well. The 22-year-old has shrugged off doubts that he would struggle to adapt to Pep Guardiola's demands by scoring 12 goals in his first seven outings for the club — a start to life in sky blue even better than Sergio Aguero enjoyed.
However, had City succeeded in their pursuit of Harry Kane in 2021 then Haaland would likely never have arrived. City were desperate to add the England striker to their squad ahead of the 2021/22 season, but try as they might they could not persuade Tottenham Hotspur to part with their star player.
READ MORE: Man City lead where the Premier League did not over fixture postponements
The saga rumbled on for weeks and weeks until finally Kane confirmed that he would be staying in North London, forcing City to turn their attentions elsewhere. A year later they did just that, beating out Real Madrid in the race to sign Haaland.
According to one former Spurs star, City's failure to sign Kane has actually worked out pretty well for them. Speaking to Midnite, Gus Poyet admitted that the Norwegian edges out his English counterpart when it comes to pure striking ability.
"They're different players, one is a top goalscorer, Haaland will always be there in the box, waiting for a cross, mistake, pass, like a proper killer," Poyet said.
"Kane is a great football player, especially in the last few years, he's started dropping and making things happen. Kane is an all-round
Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial could return for Manchester United against City on Sunday.
Manchester United could be without Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial for this weekend's derby at City.
Manchester United's Harry Maguire was pictured limping with an injury after England played Germany in the Nations League.
Qatar, which has laws that criminalise homosexuality, will host the football World Cup later this year. But, English Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham claims he has been told Qatar police will not arrest LGBTQI fans for holding hands or kissing in public at the World Cup. The country has faced questions about its human rights records, treatment of migrant workers and homophobic laws ahead of the World Cup. Homosexuality in Qatar is illegal.
Manchested United are reportedly 'considering a move' for Tottenham's Harry Kane as a potential replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo.
Here are your Manchester City evening headlines on Tuesday, September 20.
When Erling Haaland stretched to try and convert Kevin De Bruyne's low cross inside the first minute at Molineux, it looked briefly like Manchester City's deadly combination was going to be denied.
Manchester City are reportedly set to join Chelsea in the race to sign Rafael Leao from AC Milan.
Manuel Akanji believes that Manchester City teammate Erling Haaland can continue scoring goals at a remarkable rate throughout the season.
Borussia Dortmund banked more than £65m from Manchester City this summer as they reinforced their reputation for excellent recruitment, development and profit-making.