Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has joked that Erling Haaland’s goal-scoring record could make it difficult for the Norwegian striker to serve as the club’s captain under his management.
Maresca explained that he had a rule during his time at Leicester City and Chelsea requiring the captain to immediately return to the technical area whenever the team scored.
The captain was expected to come to the bench to receive tactical instructions instead of joining the rest of the players in celebrating the goal.
However, Maresca admitted that the rule could create a unique problem if Haaland were to wear the captain’s armband because of how frequently the striker finds the net.
“At Leicester and Chelsea, I had a rule that when we scored, the captain had to come to the bench, not to celebrate, for instructions,” Maresca said.
“But if the captain scores, then he can celebrate. If Erling is the captain, f***ing hell! We have a problem, can you imagine?” he added.
The comments were made in a light-hearted manner and are not an indication of any disagreement between Maresca and Haaland. Reports say Haaland remains part of Manchester City’s leadership group, but Ruben Dias is expected to be the leading candidate to take over the captaincy following Bernardo Silva’s departure.
Haaland has established himself as one of the most prolific goalscorers in Manchester City’s history since joining the club from Borussia Dortmund.
His regular involvement in City’s goals explains Maresca’s humorous concern about having to repeatedly call his captain to the bench.
