It took only one Premier League game for Erling Haaland to announce himself to the English fans in the blue colours of Manchester City.
The Cityzens were aware of the huge void left behind because of the departure of Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling up front and lured the Borussia Dortmund star with the promise of ruling England, but only together and with his unparalleled support.
And the support arrived in some fashion. After a misfire in the Community Shield against Liverpool, the critics and the sceptics came rushing to put Haaland in the mud, but the 22-year-old didn’t allow that narrative to go on for long.
A penalty and a sumptuous finish from Kevin De Bruyne’s special pass against West Ham United allowed the Norwegian to put all doubts about his transition from the arena of German football to English football to bed.
The Cityzens are behind him and a few weeks ago were excited to see Jack Grealish striking up a friendly bond with the Norwegian. But hold your boats because, after the game against the Hammers, Haaland has a new pal that wants to sail with him. It is City’s majestic assist maestro, De Bruyne.
Anyone who saw the game against West Ham realized the brilliance of the weighted pass of the Belgian that led to Haaland’s and City’s second goal. It was immediately clear that De Bruyne has finally found another scintillating striker worthy to convert his passes into goals. There was complete jubilation among the fans, and De Bruyne revealed his admiration for the Norwegian in the most quirky manner on Instagram.
Haaland posted his picture where he’s seen holding a menu at a restaurant. The caption reads, ‘About to order the whole menu,’ a clear sign that the Norwegian’s hunger is almost equivalent to his thirst for goals. Witnessing no servers in sight to take Haaland’s order, De Bruyne commented, ‘You want me to hold the menu and assist you?’
Even transfer guru Fabrizio Romano wanted to get a piece of this post and mentioned that Haaland’s ordering his favourite dish, centre-backs.
However, the budding camaraderie was clearly on show as Haaland replied, ‘I’m dreaming of it every night, don’t know why.’ But if we break it down to the grain, the playful bond only exists because the Belgian believes that his impeccable playmaking skills are only complimented by Haaland’s clinical finishing.
If the fitness levels are not breached and De Bruyne and Haaland start every game together, the opponents will need more bodies on the pitch to contain the wrath unleashed by the two players.
For now, a perfect partnership has brewed up for City right at the beginning of the season and the fans can only hope that it turns it into a blessing for them but a nightmare for other teams.