It took Erling Haaland just 12 minutes to score on his Manchester City debut.Pep Guardiola handed the Norwegian striker his first start in sky blue colours against Bayern Munich last Sunday.And less than a quarter of the way through the pre-season friendly, Haaland made the net bulge by converting Jack Grealish's pinpoint pass across the face of the goal.That strike proved to be the only one of the match and was the perfect way for City to finish off their pre-season tour of the United States of America.So, Haaland is up and running for the Citizens, which should be of surprise to absolutely nobody who's watched him closely over the past three years or so.Ever since he burst onto the scene at Red Bull Salzburg, Haaland has bagged goals for fun.His numbers at Borussia Dortmund are simply off the chart. In 88 matches across all competitions with the German club, Haaland scored 85 goals and assisted a further 22.
DORTMUND, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 24: Erling Haaland of Borussia Dortmund celebrates after scoring their sides third goal during the UEFA Champions League Group F stage match between Borussia Dortmund and Club Brugge KV at Signal Iduna Park on November 24, 2020 in Dortmund, Germany. Sporting stadiums around Germany remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)If he can replicate something close to that output at City, there will be no stopping the current Premier League champions.As well as scoring goals for fun at Dortmund, Haaland also wowed football fans with a quite remarkable three-ball training drill during his time at the club - which was captured on video.In the footage, the 21-year-old placed three balls on top of each other - which in itself is an impressive feat - and then proceeded to successfully hit a target placed in the goal with every single one of them.The obvious question that was asked when it was released on social media was; real or fake?Well, Dortmund themselves stated on Twitter that the footage is indeed real...
Video: Haaland's insane three-ball training drill
Okay, if Dortmund are telling the truth and everything in that video is real, then we have to question whether Haaland is in fact a footballing cyborg and not a human.
He makes it look way too easy for our liking. If a normal person attempted the drill even after Haaland placed the balls on top of each other for them, it would end in disaster.
The son of Alf-Inge will likely make his first start for City against English opposition this weekend in the Community Shield final against Liverpool at Wembley Stadium.
After that, Haaland and his teammates will switch focus to their Premier League opener away at West Ham United on August 7th, which has the potential to be an absolute corker of a game.