Rio Ferdinand says he sympathises with Harry Maguire following a below-par performance for England in their 3-3 Nations League draw with Germany on Monday evening.
07.09.2022 - 12:45 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Rio Ferdinand says Erling Haaland’s mission to break scoring records this season will be aided by the fact he will be resting for the duration of the World Cup.
Haaland's native Norway failed to qualify for Qatar 2022, meaning Manchester City ’s clinical striker will not be match-weary when the Premier League resumes in late December. Haaland’s brace against Sevilla in the Champions League on Tuesday took his season tally up to 12 after just seven games.
His amazing start to life at the Etihad has made him firm favourite for the Premier League and Champions League golden boot. Haaland's midweek double already saw him become the fastest player to rack up 25 goals in the competition (in 20 games), and many are predicting him to break the English top-flight season record too.
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This stands at 32 for a 38-game season — a record currently held by Mo Salah for his 2017/18 haul — and 34 for the old 42-game campaign, a feat owned by both Andy Cole and Alan Shearer. And Ferdinand, Owen Hargreaves and Joleon Lescott all believe haaland will bag over 40 goals overall and could well break the Premier League record in the process.
Ferdinand said the break during the World Cup will help the City star set new highs this term. He told BT Sport: “He [ Haaland ] is not going to the World Cup, so in his mind coming out of the World Cup, he is going to be rested.
“Surely he will believe that he… will have the best opportunity of getting more goals and give him the best opportunity of reaching those numbers in the Premier League and in the other competitions.”
Lescott added that the only thing that can stop 22-year-old Haaland reaching the Premier League record is the reduced game time he may receive
Rio Ferdinand says he sympathises with Harry Maguire following a below-par performance for England in their 3-3 Nations League draw with Germany on Monday evening.
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