Erling Haaland: Pep Guardiola names the 3 players who can replace Man City striker

Erling Haaland: Pep Guardiola names the 3 players who can replace Man City striker

• Pep Guardiola has singled out three players who can step in for Erling Haaland after his seventh Premier League hat-trick on Saturday.
• Erling Haaland scored three times to help Manchester City secure a comfortable 4-1 win against Ipswich Town
• The Norwegian striker is aiming to win the Premier League Golden Boot three consecutive times

Pep Guardiola has identified three players capable of stepping in for Erling Haaland following his seventh Premier League hat-trick on Saturday.

After scoring his first goal of the season against Chelsea last week, Haaland went on to net a hat-trick in the 4-1 victory over Ipswich Town.

The Norwegian sensation has now reached 10 hat-tricks in a City jersey, with an astonishing 94 goals in 101 appearances for the club, per Football365.

A full pre-season has left Haaland fresh and poised to chase his third consecutive Premier League Golden Boot.

Although he missed parts of last season due to a foot injury, this time City won't have Julian Alvarez as backup, as he has transferred to Atletico Madrid in an £81 million deal.

City won't look for another striker

Despite aiming to compete on all fronts, City isn’t expected to enter the market for another striker.

However, Guardiola is confident that Phil Foden, James McAtee, and the returning Ilkay Gundogan can all step in if needed.

Before Haaland joined the squad, City spent about two seasons operating with a false nine, relying on players like Foden, Gundogan, and Kevin De Bruyne to fill that role.

"Erling cannot play every game," Guardiola told beIN Sports. The absence of Oscar Bobb is a big, big blow.

"But Phil (Foden) can play there, close to the box. (James) McAtee can play there, because he’s really good in these spaces, and even Gundo can play there.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen at the end of the market, but I think we’re going to continue in that way.”

Guardiola on Haaland vs Messi

In that same interview, Guardiola dismissed comparisons between Haaland and Lionel Messi.

The towering striker now has 23 hat tricks in his career and is still only 24. He has 94 goals in 101 games for the club.

"The most incredible forward I have seen is Messi. I think he can sit in the table in terms of scoring goals with Cristiano Ronaldo," he added.

What Guardiola said about winning EPL title

Briefly News earlier reported that Pep Guardiola has expressed a surprising lack of motivation to win this season's Premier League title.

Since taking charge in the summer of 2016, Guardiola has led City to unparalleled success, securing seven English top-flight titles, including an unprecedented four consecutive championships.

The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich tactician has suggested that winning another Premier League title isn't his primary focus—at least not yet.