Why Erling Haaland 'knew' he was going to excel at Manchester City before joining from Borussia Dortmund - 'There's a reason I came'

Already with 17 goals behind him this season - in just 13 appearances - Haaland is amid a remarkable run of goalscoring form, but he never had any doubt about his output in a City shirt.
"I said it before, there's a reason I came to City," Haaland told TNT Sports. "I was studying them before I came.
"I knew I was going to come in here and perform. With Pep it's been going really well, hopefully it's going to be even better."
Haaland's prolific return of goals while wearing sky blue has seen many onlookers liken him to a robot.
He seemed to embrace that comparison when celebrating in the victory over Bournemouth - though confessed that Peter Crouch better executed the move, which was a signature throughout his career.

"I think Crouch is a little bit better than me," Haaland laughed. "I think the whole point of the celebration was really good, from my side. You know the reason."
Haaland is seven goals clear at the top of the Premier League goalscoring charts, scoring 13 of City's 20 league goals this season. Meanwhile, four of the six goals scored by Pep Guardiola's side in the Champions League have come courtesy of the Norwegian striker.

Haaland, though, who has recently been elected by Guardiola to be a part of City's leadership group, played down the seismic role he has played thus far this season.
"It's nice, of course," he said. "For me, the most important thing is for us to win games.
"My job is to score goals, I'm the striker of City, I should score goals. That's how I can help the team in the best possible way. It's not about the goals, it's about helping the team winning."

'I have many great memories'
Haaland joined City in 2022 after a highly successful breakout spell at Dortmund, where he scored 86 times in 89 appearances.
One of numerous world-class players to have spent their budding years at Signal Iduna Park - a list that includes Jude Bellingham, Robert Lewandowski and Achraf Hakimi - Haaland recalled his "many great memories" at Dortmund and how the German club shaped him as a player.
"[I] won the DFK-Pokal with the club, which was amazing," he said. "I think my first month in Dortmund was maybe my best month. Before the pandemic, playing at a full Signal Iduna Park, being a new player was really special."
He added: "I became more of a man there, the club taught me so much. Not only playing, but also as a human, so many good people who I still speak to, staff. I had an amazing time there, it makes me smile when I think of it."

And he feels Dortmund's trust in youth has created a fruitful pathway for player development.
"Look at the history of Dortmund, so many good players that have played there," Haaland said. "For me, it was a perfect step.
"When I spoke with them, they said they wanted to develop me, wanted to use me. In the end, it's about the trust. They trust you as a young player to prove yourself. It was a good choice."
City and Dortmund are level on seven points from their opening three Champions League matches ahead of Wednesday's encounter in Manchester.