Erling Haaland must be doing something right this season if he has forced Roy Keane to admit he was wrong.
The Manchester City striker was once described as being like "a League Two player" by the former Manchester United midfielder and current Sky Sports pundit. But after Haaland scored twice in the Manchester derby earlier this month, Keane said -- perhaps through gritted teeth -- that Haaland had been excellent.
"He's a Championship player now," Keane added with a smile.
Given the history between Keane and Haaland's family -- the feud between Keane and Alf-Inge Haaland, Erling Haaland's father, stretches back to their playing days nearly 25 years ago -- you probably have to take any comments with a pinch of salt. What's not in doubt is that for all the debate about Haaland's overall game, the striker's numbers stand up against the best in the world.
In the Premier League, widely regarded as the toughest domestic championship in the world, Haaland has scored 91 goals in 102 games. In the UEFA Champions League, the pinnacle of European club competition, he has 50 goals in 49 games. The goals -- close to one a game, depending on the competition -- have been consistent throughout Haaland's career.
- Connelly's early-season angst check: Do Madrid, Man United, Wrexham need to be worried?
- Onuoha: Why clubs shouldn't freeze players out, like Chelsea are doing with Raheem Sterling
- Emile Heskey's sons, Reigan and Jaden, make Man City debuts
What Keane did touch upon, though, is that there's something different about Haaland this season. There's a sense from those who see him every day at the City Football Academy that he's growing up. Now 25, he's no longer the teenage sensation who burst onto the scene with Molde, Red Bull Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund. In particular, there's a feeling that he's starting to understand that he can have a bigger impact than simply putting the ball in the net.
The beginning of a more mature Haaland
Pep Guardiola has tried to move on as quickly as possible from last season's disastrous campaign, his first without silverware since joining City in 2016, but some things have stuck with him. He has remembered the players who consistently made themselves available when injuries were wreaking havoc on the squad. The City boss has also kept in mind the players he felt stood up when morale was diminishing. Haaland was one of the few to come out of last season with any credit after scoring 34 goals, including 22 in the league.
Haaland has spoken in the past about being nervous in interviews and news conferences. There are video clips of him giving one-word answers in interviews during his time at Dortmund. Last season, however, he began to find his voice. At one point he said, "You can find excuses [like] injuries," before suggesting the poor results were down to players not "fully the hunger inside of us" -- a bold claim about a squad that had won the past four Premier League titles. But Haaland is thoughtful with his words, and it wasn't a throwaway comment.
One City insider remarked at the time that Haaland's public declaration was something he had said behind closed doors on more than one occasion. It was also pointed out that he included himself in the criticism. Overall, Guardiola wasn't happy with the way the dressing room managed itself last season.
Throughout his career, Guardiola has always let the players decide the captain of his team and other members of his leadership group. This summer, for the first time, Guardiola appointed the captains himself. Bernardo Silva was given the top job, and Haaland was made one of the lieutenants. Sources told ESPN that Haaland feels an extra responsibility because Guardiola broke with his own tradition to select him specifically.
After making the announcement at the FIFA Club World Cup in Philadelphia, Guardiola openly discussed Haaland as a possible future club captain. "He's so young," he said. "He has to learn what it means to be a captain because he will hopefully be here for many years and sooner or later, he will take that position."
Haaland committed his future to City in January, signing a deal that would keep him at Etihad Stadium until 2034. It has put him in pole position to be a future skipper and follow in the footsteps of his father, who wore the armband on occasion during his spell at the club between 2000 and 2003. His dad's association with the club has helped forge Haaland's devotion to City.
The younger Haaland, who became a father himself in December, attended City fixtures when he was younger and would make a point of watching their games during his time at Red Bull Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund. Guardiola appreciates the bond Haaland has with City, having played for and managed his boyhood club, Barcelona.
Sources told ESPN that Haaland has taken his role in the leadership group seriously and has enjoyed the responsibility of helping drive standards within the squad. He has made a particular effort with young players, and new players signed over the summer, to make sure they feel welcomed and comfortable.
Pep Guardiola reflects on why Kalvin Phillips' transfer to Manchester City hasn't worked out.
Haaland is a big advocate of players being at their best when they are, as he puts it, "free in the mind," and he has been central to fostering a new spirit among the group. It was telling that in his news conference Tuesday, Guardiola pointed out that the closeness of the squad was one of the biggest changes from last season.
"All together we talked a lot about what we need to be happy in our job," Guardiola said. "Coming here [to the training ground] and feeling comfortable. Whatever happens there are guys around you who support you. Even if it's a bad pass, the intention is always good.
"All the time it has been like that in the teams. It's the foundation. It's the spirit, not the tactics. Talk about in the past 'tactics from Pep.' No. It's about how we are connected as a team in the good moments and the bad moments. How we help each other. That is the principle for everything."
What the stats say
This season, Haaland has been doing what he always has: scoring goals. He is already leading the Premier League Golden Boot race with six goals in five games, and he has seven in six games in all competitions. But it's everything else he has been doing that has caught the attention of hard-to-please pundits like Keane.
Haaland is averaging 24.6 touches in the Premier League, which is pretty consistent with each of his three full seasons in England. In his own half, however, he's having a much bigger impact. He's averaging eight touches a game in City's half, up from 5.6 touches per 90 minutes last season and 4.6 touches per 90 the season before.
He has made two clearances per game compared with 0.7 per game last season, and 4.3 defensive interventions per game -- far more than in any other campaign -- compared with 2.8 defensive interventions per game last season. He's also covering more distance per game than he was last season, and his number of sprints is up from 18 every 90 minutes to nearly 30.
Haaland's growing influence
Five games is a small sample size, but it appears Haaland has absorbed some of the things Guardiola said in the summer when talking about what would be expected of him as a member of City's leadership group. "I have the feeling thinking for the future that he needs to learn what is best for the team," Guardiola said. "To put the team, your mates, in front of you. You have to ask what is best for the team."
After making his "Championship player" jibe after the derby, Keane -- more seriously this time -- observed the progress Haaland has made. "The penny is dropping," he said. Those closest to Haaland insist the change is more about him realizing there's an added responsibility that comes with being one of the senior players for club and country.
Haaland missed the Carabao Cup tie against Huddersfield on Wednesday because of a back complaint, but City hope to have him back for Burnley's visit to Etihad Stadium on Saturday. Guardiola needs him, and not just to score goals. "Erling has been incredible since the start, but this season he is better than ever," he said.