Erling Haaland can “obliterate” Alan Shearer record as Man City's Premier League rivals are sent “scary” warning

Erling Haaland is developing into a "better" striker for Manchester City and he has the potential to “obliterate” Alan Shearer’s all-time Premier League goalscoring record, Citizens expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany has told Sports Mole.

The 25-year-old Norwegian is enjoying his fourth season at the Etihad Stadium and has made an outrageous start to 2025-26, scoring 18 goals in just 11 appearances for club and country.

Haaland has found the net in each of his last nine competitive appearances, which is the longest scoring run of his career in top-flight/international football, and he most recently scored his ninth Premier League goal of the campaign in a narrow 1-0 win at Brentford last weekend.

Since joining from Borussia Dortmund in 2022, Haaland has scored 94 goals in 104 Premier League games for Pep Guardiola’s side, the 10th most scored by a player for a manager in the division’s history.

McInerney believes that Haaland is improving under Guardiola and he is relishing the responsibility he has as an important senior player and leader at Man City.

Speaking to Sports Mole, McInerney said: “I actually think he's better [than previous seasons]. He's scored at this rate before, but to me, it's the aggression to his game, it's the motivation, it's the clear intention of putting the team on his very broad shoulders and carrying them forward.

“Built like a Viking”: Haaland ‘should bully defenders an awful lot more’

“He's clearly revelling the senior role in the team...Haaland with his immense physicality, built like a Viking, should be able to bully defenders an awful lot more than he does - don't get me wrong he's shown immense physicality plenty of times, but [his goal vs. Brentford] was a real centre-forward’s goal.

“He was aggressive, it was physical, shades of Didier Drogba, one of the most physical Premier League forwards ever, and he bullied that Brentford defence. He made that goal himself...and turned [Josko Gvardiol’s pass forward] into a goal by essentially barging his way through the entire Brentford defence.”

McInerney also feels that fatherhood has had a positive impact on Haaland, allowing him to mentally detach from football and spend quality time with his family.

“Haaland talked after the (Brentford) game about how being a father's helped him a little bit. He said he doesn't have time to think about football afterwards, he just switches off, goes home, and if anything he's found that that's actually benefitted him because he's more focused when it comes to work.

“There’s definitely a different feel to him, I would argue. He definitely feels that he wants to be involved, he's defending a bit more, he's trying to gee up his teammates a little bit more.

“With his experience as a 25-year-old at the elite level, winning multiple things, you get a player who's ready to take the next step as a leader, and I think that's evident in his game. You align that to his goalscoring and you've got a pretty special talent.”

McInerney added: “I do think he's aware of his increased importance...I think Haaland feels the responsibility in many ways. His teammates need him more than ever given the vacuum of leadership, he probably feels it more on a personal level at home with his family as well.

“Haaland can get better, which is the scary thing"

“I think he's making that transition into a man, an adult, he's a proper senior football player and I think the leadership suits him. I think he needs that personally as well for his next step of development.”

Haaland - Man City’s fifth-highest goalscorer of all time in all competitions (136 goals) - continues to etch his name into the history books and has been boldly described by former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher as "the best goalscorer we've ever seen in English football".

Sharing his thoughts on whether Haaland can be considered the very best, McInerney said: “In terms of pure goalscoring, the Premier League's never seen anyone like that - that's not even up for debate, the stats are there and he's not just played one season here, he's been doing this for an awful long time for City now and he's broken records.

“He's an absurd talent. There's been great goalscorers like Shearer, [Thierry] Henry, [Sergio] Aguero, [Andrew] Cole, [Michael] Owen and [Robbie] Fowler and loads of other great goalscorers over the history of the Premier League. None have scored goals at the rate Erling Harland has. None. That's a fact.

“The guy was built to score goals. He's an absolute goalscoring machine and I don't know if anyone will ever score 36 goals in 35 games again (which Haaland achieved in 2022-23) - it's ridiculous.”

“He can get better, which is the scary thing for everyone,” McInerney added. “I think he is showing signs of wanting to get better too.

“Is he the greatest goalscorer the Premier League's seen? It depends who you ask. Ask some City fans and they'll say yes, but some will say Aguero. Ask a Spurs fan and they'll say [Harry] Kane. I'm sure Man United fans would point towards [Wayne] Rooney or Cole. Arsenal - Henry.

Haaland tipped to “obliterate” Shearer record, compared to Messi, Ronaldo

“I don't really know the answer, but put it this way, if every great goalscorer in the Premier League was put in the same Man City side, I don't think any scored more than [Haaland]. He is just made to score goals, he's an absolute machine and I think by the end of his Man City career - if he stays as long as he says he's going to (with a contract until 2034)  - it won't be a question anymore.

“We'll be looking at 300, 400 goals and no-one will be questioning it. He would have obliterated Shearer’s record. He's on 94 now currently in the Premier League and that's just in four seasons - that's absolutely absurd. He's going to obliterate it.

“I'd say if he does six or seven seasons (he will beat Shearer’s record), but who knows, he might start getting 40 goals a season in the Premier League, it's not beyond him.”

McInerney is currently of the opinion that Haaland cannot be put into the same bracket as both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, but he does believe that Man City’s No.9 has the potential to score the same “crazy” amounts of league goals in the near future.

“Guardiola was talking about whether Haaland is in a conversation with [Messi and Ronaldo] and I think he was being diplomatic,” McInerney said. “I still don't think he is in the conversation yet either, as I think we genuinely forget just how good those two were at goalscoring.

“Ronaldo scored 46 [goals in the 2011-12 La Liga season] and still was second top goalscorer [after] Messi who scored 50 league goals in 37 games...but Haaland could do that in the Premier League. That's what's crazy. That’s the highest limit for Haaland. 1.3 goals a game which is crazy to think about, but that's what he’ll want.

“The very best version of Haaland with the very best version of Manchester City - he should be scoring more than a goal a game, because he's that talented.”

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