BT Sport pundit Paul Scholes claims he can see similarities between his former Manchester United teammate Ruud van Nistelrooy and Erling Haaland.

The Manchester City striker scored a brace on his debut against West Ham at the weekend and Scholes drew comparisons between the Norwegian’s finishing ability and van Nistelrooy:

“He’s such a young player, so confident. He reminds me so much of Ruud van Nistelrooy, such a ruthless finisher. When he gets through, you feel he’s going to score and you feel he’s not going to give the goalkeeper a chance. Even looking at his penalty, he was so certain about it, just a step up and bang into that bottom corner. It was a great debut [against West Ham], I thought it might take a bit of time but I was slightly wrong again, but this lad’s got real quality, his goal-scoring, his movement. Imagine playing behind him!”

Van Nistelrooy scored 150 goals in five seasons with United and Haaland will certainly be looking to emulate, if not surpass, those numbers during his time at City.

The 22-year-old is clearly a player who is not short of confidence. Any doubts following a couple of misses in the Community Shield defeat to Liverpool were quickly put to bed with his performance at the London Stadium.

Combined with his excellent composure in front of goal, Haaland’s pace and strength make him a formidable player for any defence to face. His game looks perfectly suited to the Premier League and, as long as he stays fit, he could rack up some huge numbers this campaign.