Former Tottenham Hotspur star Rafael van der Vaart has hit out at Erling Haaland as the Manchester City forward is “not good enough”.
Following his £51m move to Man City in 2022, Haaland has established himself as one of the best strikers in the world as he’s scored 107 goals in his 117 appearances across all competitions.
This season, the 24-year-old has 17 goals in his 19 appearances across all competitions, but he’s scored just once in his last eight Premier League outings.
Haaland’s ongoing dip in form has come at a poor time for Man City as Pep Guardiola’s side are winless in seven matches heading into Wednesday’s home clash against Nottingham Forest.
Man City are currently 16th in the Premier League form table. Van ver Vaart thinks Haaland is just a “normal player”, while Ilkay Gundogan “was not what they needed in the summer.
“Take away his pace, I see Erling Haaland as a normal player,” Van der Vaart said.
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“Technique-wise, he’s not good enough and he can get away with it when City are on form but not when they’re struggling.
“I just think he’s missing something that those top, top strikers have. I might get criticised for that opinion, but I don’t see him at the same level as the top strikers I played with, like Ruud van Nistelrooy.
“Manchester City need Erling Haaland at the moment, but where is he? That’s why he’s not among that select few world-class strikers.
“I think the intensity that Man City have shown under Pep Guardiola for so many seasons is over. They look very tired to me. You can see it in their faces, Kevin De Bruyne for example, they’re not fresh anymore.
“They need a rebuild. I’m not one who says they need to get rid of Pep, no chance. I believe in his coaching methods but they need to get their transfers right – Ilkay Gundogan was not what they needed in the summer.”
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While Van der Vaart hit out at Haaland, he lauded Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, who is one of the 20 best footballers out of contract in 2025. The pundit reckons the experienced attacker is the best player int he world at the moment.
“I think so, yes, [Mohamed] Salah is the best,” Van der Vaart added.
“I am a big fan of [Kylian] Mbappe but he is not showing it at the moment.
“You have Vinicius Jr too, but I think that Salah has been consistent for so many years. You can see he feels really at home at Liverpool and he should stay.
“It’s the same with [Trent] Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk, they should stay at Liverpool too. Liverpool is a huge club that is doing really well at the moment and I only see Real Madrid as the club you never say no to.”