Man City defender Manuel Akanji makes Erling Haaland prediction that will worry rivals

Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji insisted that Erling Haaland is only going to get better after his scintillating start under Pep Guardiola.

The Norwegian frontman has registered 19 goals and three assists in 12 appearances in all competitions since signing for City from Borussia Dortmund in the summer transfer window. Haaland, whose goal tally includes 14 strikes in the Premier League, has also scored three hat-tricks already this term.

The 22-year-old scored three times in the 6-3 win over United at the weekend, with England international Phil Foden also grabbing a hat-trick. He has only failed to find the back of the net on two occasions this season, and his teammate Akanji has backed him to continue performing.

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Akanji, who played alongside Haaland at Dortmund, delivered a stark warning to Premier League defenders that the Norwegian is only going to get better in this City team.

"It is hard to predict what someone is going to do when they are going to a new club because you never know what is going to happen," Akanji told City's in-house media team.

"But I am not surprised with what he is doing right now. I do think he is doing it at a higher level to what he was doing at Dortmund, but it is also to do with the team and the players that he has around him, the passes he gets.

"Also, his finishing, his runs from deep, his headers, he has improved a lot already. If he keeps on doing that, he will score more and more goals."

In a separate interview, the 27-year-old centre-back also suggested that Haaland could go on to score 50 goals this campaign if he manages to stay fit.

Asked if the striker could hit a half century, Akanji said: "If he