Pep Guardiola’s surprising reaction to Erling Haaland’s crazy extension

This is the information that took the entire football world by surprise this Friday morning. Manchester City has formalized the extension of Erling Haaland until 2034. Excellent news for the English club. But the phenomenal duration also surprised Pep Guardiola, the Citizens coach, when Haaland taught him about it. “I said: can you repeat? He said “sure” and “good news”, that means a lot”told the Spaniard at a press conference.

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Then he spoke at greater length about the duration of the extension. “The club decided it. Erling would not have signed if he had not imagined himself staying 10 more years. So both parties decided it. He believes that for him, it is the right thing to do for his career. Of course he is a special player. The club made a big effort to get him, and he decided. »

Guardiola not worried about lack of motivation

While players in the past have spoken about their problems adapting to Mancunian life, Haaland feels like a fish in water in the north of England. “He’s from Norway, so maybe the weather is better here!” He has integrated perfectly, he loves the club, the people around him, the Premier League. His wife and father are here. He understood that there was no better place than here. This is why he and his family decided to take the plunge”continued Guardiola.

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Above all, the coach assured that this phenomenal extension would not push the player to rest on his laurels. “I don’t think he’s going to sleep now that he’s signed this contract. He’s a huge competitor, and in his state of mind, he knows how to forget things that have just happened, whether it’s good or bad. He’s always thinking about what’s next. » Understand that Guardiola, who is under contract until 2027, is not going to let go of him either. “He can improve on several things. He can understand the game as a whole even better, what decisions to make in certain moments. He is still young, with time and maturity, everything will happen naturally”.