Erling Haaland's 'little boast' supports Man City transfer belief

Erling Haaland said very little as he sat down next to his Norway manager for a press conference ahead of their UEFA Nations League game with Serbia. The striker isn't known for running his mouth anyway, but it was made clear at the start that he would not be answering questions about Manchester City because he has not yet officially joined the club.

That shouldn't set Blues panicking, but does reflect the way that the transfer has been conducted between Dortmund and City — two clubs with heaps of respect for each other. City fans will get many opportunities to hear from their striker, starting this summer.

The attempt to deter questions on Haaland's move did not fully stop them being asked though, and the 21-year-old did open up on the difficulty of playing while deciding his future, as well as the tragic death of his agent Mino Raiola. It was an answer on dealing with speculation that should make City ears prick up.

Also read: Man City face battle to keep Oleksandr Zinchenko amid Arsenal interest

"If I can boast a little," he said. "If there’s something I’m very good at it’s focusing, focusing on football and not on things I shouldn’t focus on, shutting out everything.”

There are many who would argue that there are other things he is very good at; City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak spoke glowingly about the move in his end-of-year address and called him arguably the best No.9 in world football.

However, the point about shutting out noise chimes perfectly with the mentality that Pep Guardiola asks of all of his players when they get down to the business end of the season. There can be no external distractions, and no focus on what other teams are doing that may detract from the primary goal of giving 100 per cent in