Erling Haaland declared “it’s going to be fun” working with Pep Guardiola after he scored his first goal in a Manchester City shirt.
Haaland scored the only goal of the game as City beat Bayern Munich 1-0 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin on Saturday.
Stormy weather marred the friendly but that didn’t stop the former Borussia Dortmund striker from getting on the end of Jack Grealish’s cross in the 12th minute to tap home.
After the win, Haaland said: “As you all probably know, I’ve watched a lot of City games in recent years and it’s been without a striker in recent years, so of course I’ve seen myself in those situations today, so I’m not surprised.”
The Norwegian scored 86 goals in 89 games in all competitions during his two-and-a-half years at Dortmund, with only Robert Lewandowski (123 in 108 games) and Kylian Mbappe (93 in 111 games) scoring more goals in Europe’s top five leagues.
Of his new manager, Haaland added: “Guardiola is a bit crazy and I like that, so it will be fun. It’s a week so I can’t reveal too much, but I’ve been training well and I’m ready for what’s next.”
Haaland’s debut goal in the United States came courtesy of neat passes from Kevin De Bruyne and Grealish and the 22-year-old is looking forward to playing with the England international.
“[Grealish is] good. He has to improve, I have to improve, but [it’s] a good link. I like the atmosphere around him so it will be fun.”
Guardiola was delighted to see his new number nine for the first time, saying after the game: “He scored a goal, which is important. Goals like that in front of the goalkeeper – he’s always there.”
“He needs more rhythm and time in the first few minutes, but he’s already had 45 minutes, which is good for him.
“We’ll see how he reacts to the ailments he had in the previous weeks. When he comes back, we have long weeks to prepare for every weekend game. In those two or three weeks, we’ll get in the best shape.”
