Gary Lineker names one trait that sets Man City star Erling Haaland apart

Gary Lineker believes Erling Haaland's intelligence sets him apart from other strikers but questions whether Manchester City can replicate last season's treble-winning form.

Haaland was crucial to City enjoying the greatest season in their history last time out as they won an illustrious treble. Pep Guardiola's side won the Premier League and FA Cup before victory against Inter Milan in Istanbul handed them a first-ever Champions League.

The Norwegian scored an incredible 52 goals in 53 appearances across all competitions, terrorising defences with his physicality and killer instinct. However, Lineker believes his intelligent running is what makes him the best striker in the world.

"Haaland has pace, power and stature, he puts the fear of God into defences, who tend to drop deep to combat him but it’s almost impossible to stop him," Lineker told the Sun. "What really sets him apart, though, is his intelligence.

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"A goalscorer will attack space and nine times out of ten, the ball might not arrive exactly where you want it to — but when it does, you know you have an easy chance to score. Haaland gets this.

"When I played, people often said that I’d done nothing all game but then scored the winner. But for the rest of the match, I’d be making 15, 20 or 30 runs with the ball rarely going where I’d want it — and with Haaland there are many similarities.

"I’d seen plenty of him at Borussia Dortmund and when he arrived I knew he was an absolute banker to score a lot of goals for Manchester City. They are such a creative team who get the ball to the byline more than any other team I’ve ever seen.

"City won the title without an authentic