Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola insisted Erling Haaland is not yet back to his "absolute best" after the Norwegian striker continued his remarkable debut Premier League season with two more goals in Wednesday's 3-1 win at Leeds United.
Haaland, 23, has been in sensational form since joining City from Borussia Dortmund in the summer and took his Premier League goal tally to 20 from just 15 appearances with his double at Elland Road, becoming the fastest player to reach the milestone. He has scored 26 goals in 20 games across all competitions.
Despite his unstoppable form, Guardiola is convinced Haaland still has another level to find as he continues to recover from an injury sustained in a Champions League game against former club Dortmund at the end of October.
Having missed the World Cup due to Norway's failure to qualify, Haaland spent the past few weeks resting and recovering, and was part of the City squad who enjoyed a training camp in Abu Dhabi.
“I still think he's still not back to his best, that was at the beginning of the season I would say but then the injury he had in Dortmund,” Guardiola said in his post-match press conference.
“When he started to train in Abu Dhabi he could not train every single day, maybe the last one. To move this huge body is not easy for him. But as much as he can play, with minutes he will be better. I have the feeling he is not at his best. It’s a question of time after the injury.
“But I had the feeling that he is always an incredible threat for the opponent. The numbers are unbelievable. I had the feeling he’s not coming here just for the numbers - we want to win it. Still we are far away from the team that has been exceptional so far.
“There are 70 points to play for and we have to have an incredible run, to win and win to be close to the top of the league.”
Leeds v Man City player ratings
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LEEDS UNITED RATINGS: Illan Meslier 8 – Made some crucial interceptions and read the game well despite conceding three from close range. AP -
Rasmus Kristensen 5 – Never really looked comfortable against the movement of the City forward line, and he was dragged out of position too easily before being substituted after 67 minutes. Getty -
Robin Koch 5 – An average display from the defender. Beaten to the ball by Grealish in the lead-up to Haaland’s second goal. Getty -
Liam Cooper 5 – The captain looked completely unsettled, and a poor pass to Koch gave Grealish an open run into the penalty area to set up Haaland for a second. Reuters -
Pascal Struijk 7 – Lost Foden and headed home from the corner to provide a consolation goal in the 73rd minute. Reuters -
Sam Greenwood 7 – Had some nice touches and produced a superb delivery from the corner to assist Struijk’s header. Getty -
Marc Roca 5 – Showed plenty of endeavour in the midfield but gave the ball away too often. AP -
Adam Forshaw 6 – Looked good on the ball in his return to the starting eleven. Impact faded in the second half and he was substituted after 67 minutes. AP -
Rodrigo Moreno 4 – Completely ineffective and had little impact on the game before he was replaced by Gelhardt after 72 minutes. Getty -
Brenden Aaronson 6 – Exuded quality and confidence on the ball, but he was lacking the final precision in his delivery. Replaced for the final seven minutes. AFP -
Wilfried Gnonto 7 – Showed glimpses of his pace and worked hard for the team throughout. Reuters -
SUBS: Luke Ayling (Kristensen 65’) 5 – Brought on to shore up defence, and he was involved in plenty of the action after his introduction. PA -
Mateusz Klich (Forshaw 66’) 4 – Little contribution apart from a card for fouling Grealish. AFP -
Joe Gelhardt (Rodrigo 72’) 7 – A bright cameo. Had a chance to make it 3-2 after getting ahead of Akanji, but he poked it wide of Ederson’s goal. Reuters -
Diego Llorente (Cooper 72’) 4 – Anonymous when introduced. Getty -
Darko Gyabi (Aaronson 83’) – N/A. Getty -
MANCHESTER CITY RATINGS: Ederson 6 – A spectator for much of the game, but the Brazilian could not reach Struijk’s well-placed header. His distribution was good under pressure. Reuters -
Rico Lewis 7 – Looked at ease in his Premier League debut with plenty of intricate touches to link play. Teed up Grealish in the first half. Booked in the second for a foul on Gnonto and was replaced by Cancelo after 68 minutes. EPA -
John Stones 6 – Looked competent in defence. Reuters -
Manuel Akanji 7 – An assured performance from the centre-back who made a few decent interventions. AP -
Nathan Ake 6 – Solid display but did not look as comfortable as his defensive counterparts in possession under pressure. Reuters -
Kevin de Bruyne 8 – Superbly orchestrated every City attack. Repeatedly split the Leeds defence in half. EPA -
Rodri 8 – Combative off the ball, sweeping up in the middle of the park. The Spaniard opened the scoring from close range just before half time after following up on the rebound. He was carded in the second for bringing down Gnonto. PA -
Ilkay Gundogan 7 – Looked dangerous with the ball and had a couple of chances to get on the scoresheet. AFP -
Riyad Mahrez 6 – Not as much of an impact as he would have liked, but the Algerian got into plenty of promising positions. AFP -
Erling Haaland 8 – Denied a hat-trick by Meslier, with a wasteful first-half display. But the Norwegian grabbed a brace with two clinical finishes in the second. AP -
Jack Grealish 7 – Made up for a dismal first-half performance with two assists in the second. Should have scored after missing the target twice from close range. Reuters -
SUBS: Joao Cancelo (Lewis 68’) 6 – Busy after his introduction without producing much threat. AP -
Phil Foden (Grealish 73’) 4 – Anonymous when introduced and he lost Struijk from the corned as Leeds got one back. Reuters -
Cole Palmer (Mahrez, 88) – N/A. PA
While it was once again Haaland in the headlines, Guardiola was also pleased with the contribution of Jack Grealish. The England midfielder missed a couple of good chances in the first half against Leeds but responded by providing both assists for Haaland's goals.
“He was good,” Guardiola said. “In the first half he missed chances and has to improve on that. It’s just mentality and to be aggressive to score.
“He showed the quality to be generous. He’s incredibly loved by everyone. He’s so humble and they were perfect assists for Erling.”
Leeds manager Jesse Marsch had spoken before the game of the dangers Haaland posed, but ultimately his Leeds side were unable to contain the Norwegian. The American knows the striker well from their one year working together at Austrian side RB Salzburg.
"Haaland has an uncanny ability to know where to be to score goals and a hunger like I have never seen before," Marsch said. "It is infectious in the team. It is a desire that spreads through the team.
"I don't know whether Man City are my favourites for the league but Haaland is one of my favourite players to watch."
