Ederson praised Manchester City teammate Haaland and revealed a ‘lie’ regarding the nature of his record number of goals.

Ederson and Haaland watch on

Erling Haaland has made a habit of being in the right place at the right time for Manchester City – but teammate Ederson has dismissed the idea that any of his 32 goals have been easy.

Haaland has 32 goals in 31 games, but still has his detractors who think that he is making City worse, or that he has signed for the wrong team. As many of his goals have come from inside the penalty area, he has also been accused in some quarters of ‘only’ scoring easy goals.

However, goalkeeper Ederson has leapt to Haaland’s defence, insisting that the striker’s positional awareness and mentality make the so-called ‘easy’ finishes far more difficult than they look.

Speaking to UEFA, Ederson said: “Many people say most of the goals he scores are easy – but that is a lie. It’s his positioning – that’s his best ability.

“He doesn’t score easy goals; he positions himself very well. I hope he continues to score many goals, making us happy and we’ll keep working together for all the titles.”

Praising Haaland further, Ederson used former City teammate Gabriel Jesus to illustrate how the Blues’ style of play has changed for the better with a more traditional number nine.

“When [Haaland] arrived, we said he was going to score a lot – and that’s been happening,” Ederson explained.

“He is a brilliant goalscorer, he always looks to score and help the team. He is the striker we needed because in comparison to Gabriel, they are different players: Gabi likes to come in from out wide, he is stronger and more versatile; Haaland plays more centrally, looking to get into the box, he is a target in the area.

“That has been the major difference. When you get into the final third you have someone who will always be in the area.”

source: www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk