Erling Haaland has potential to be best we've ever seen

HAT-TRICK HERO: Manchester City's Erling Haaland celebrates scoring their side's third goal of the game during the Premier League match at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester. Pic: Martin Rickett/PA Wire

There have been many outstanding strikers in Premier League history, from Alan Shearer to Thierry Henry and Eric Cantona to Ian Wright and now, of course, Harry Kane; but after only eight games it is not outrageous to suggest that Erling Haaland has the potential to be the best of the lot.

Football legacies are written in trophies and longevity, something that Pep Guardiola has been quick to point out, and Haaland has neither of those on his Premier League CV yet, of course.

But, nevertheless, his performances since arriving from Dortmund have been so powerful, so confident, so unstoppable that he appears to be from a planet that not even Shearer & Co have stepped foot on.

His first eight matches have already brought 14 goals and three assists, including three brutal finishes in a demolition of deadly rivals Manchester United that made it three home hat-tricks in a row for his new club.

His performance also included two assists, both for another hat-trick hero Phil Foden, on what was another chastening day for United’s sorry side who have managed to manufacture themselves another low having seemingly begun a revival since losing 4-0 at Brentford.

Foden, of course, deserves his share of the limelight for his contribution; but Haaland was something else.

That’s 18 for the season in all competitions, and we’ve only just arrived in October.

For anyone watching his impact, it’s almost as if City have signed a cheat card. A player that has such an aura that he appears like an adult playing in an under 12s team. Too big, too powerful, too good. The kind of player you might substitute to make the game fairer.

But City aren’t going to do that, of course.

There were questions marks when the Norwegian first arrived around how long it would take Guardiola to re-design his team to maximise Haaland’s talents, having played the previous two seasons without a number nine.

But we underestimated the Spaniard. He has already built a system that suits his new striker perfectly, and it’s as if City have been waiting and preparing for him for years.

The attacking quartet of Grealish, De Bruyne, Foden and Haaland is something quite remarkable, exemplified by their fourth goal in a derby drubbing in which Grealish broke the lines with a trademark dribble, De Bruyne found Haaland and the striker delivered the perfect low, left-foot cross for Foden to finish.

Even United legend Gary Neville, commentating on the game for Sky, described it as a thing of beauty and that tells you something about its quality.

The goal was a reminder that Haaland does more than finish chances. He may not have many touches in comparison to other rivals, but when he does see the ball, he rarely wastes it.

His first goal was a thunderous header from a corner, the second a superb left-foot finish on the stretch from an outstanding De Bruyne assist, the third a thumping close-range effort from a Gomez cross.

Add in an opener for Foden from Bernardo Silva’s cut-back and the first half and another from same late on and you can understand just how good City were, and how badly United coped.

They won’t be the last team to feel that way at the Etihad this season, however, and if Arsenal felt they put themselves in poll position in the title racy by beating Tottenham on Saturday, this was a reminder that City have the potential to find gears that no other teams can access.

They have many outstanding players, of course, and De Bruyne remains the focal point, but Haaland has something not even his perennially successful teammates have got; an aura of power and invincibility that is going to leave defenders trembling even before he touches the ball.

United’s Anthony briefly took the focus away from the 22-year-old with a fine strike of his own for 4-1, but it’s simply impossible to overshadow Haaland.

There is so much to his game. His acceleration in short bursts is frightening and the timing of his runs even better - it’s rare to see him caught offside.

The inevitable hat-trick goal came after 64 minutes, another brutally efficient finish from a low Gomez cross. On first glance it looked simple enough, but an incredulous Neville’s reaction told you otherwise.

“It’s unfair – because that’s an absolute joke of a finish. The power of the finish is absolutely incredible,” he said.

That’s the way many opponents are going to feel this season. Haaland’s arrival at City feels unfair, he’s that good.

His aura reminds you of All Blacks rugby union star Jonah Lomu who was described as a ‘freak’ by England when he demolished them in a World Cup semi-final back in 1995.

He provided a second assist of the night for Foden, who completed his hat-trick for a 6-3 scoreline that didn’t flatter City despite two late conciliation efforts for Anthony Martial.

Guardiola, no doubt, will be frustrated at the three conceded. But the real story was at the other end of the field.

Call him a cheat card, call him a goalscoring freak, call him devastating or even an unfair advantage, but it's clear Erling Haaland has the potential to be one of the best we have ever seen.