Joleon Lescott cautioned against expecting Erling Haaland to surpass even more records following his extraordinary debut season in England.
Haaland made an impressive arrival in the Premier League last season, setting a competition record with 36 goals in a 38-game season.
Additionally, he scored 16 more goals in other competitions, concluding the campaign with a remarkable total of 52 goals.
Indeed, former Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott is skeptical about the 23-year-old Erling Haaland’s ability to keep breaking records consistently. While Haaland had a phenomenal debut season in England, Lescott believes it’s unrealistic to expect him to continuously set new records in the future.
“We can’t expect him to continue to break a record every year. It’d be difficult to do that,” Lescott said to Stats Perform.
“I think if he maintains the level that he set, then he’s going to be an iconic player for the Premier League, for Manchester City.
“Defenders will have to adapt to what he does and what he’s done because if they didn’t then he would continue to score the goals that he has.
“So I’m sure there will be different approaches and different solutions for [playing against] Erling this season.”
Haaland played a crucial role in leading Manchester City to a treble last season, and according to Lescott, his former team is currently the best in the world. City’s success can be attributed to Haaland’s contributions, among others, making them a formidable force on the global stage.
“They’re the best team in Europe for sure,” he said.
Obviously, with the Super Cup and hopefully the Club World Cup to come soon, we can have that honour of being recognised as the best team in the world, but you have to win the honours in order to do that.”
Last season, Manchester City secured the Premier League title with a five-point lead, but it wasn’t an easy journey as Arsenal fiercely competed and held the top spot for a significant part of the season.
Joleon Lescott believes that in the upcoming campaign, City will face numerous challengers vying for their crown, making the title race more competitive and intense.
Obviously, Arsenal were there or thereabouts last season. So I anticipate that challenge,” he said.
“Liverpool again, they’ve been on par to a certain extent with Manchester City over the last few seasons.
Manchester United have recruited new players, so I’m sure every team going into the start of the season believes they can win.”
Following their clash with Arsenal in the Community Shield on Sunday, Manchester City’s first Premier League fixture will be against Burnley.
Additionally, they are set to face Europa League winners Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup, making for an exciting start to their competitive season.