Kevin De Bruyne is right to say that Erling Haaland’s season hasn’t been appreciated | OneFootball

Kevin De Bruyne is right in his assessment that Erling Haaland’s season hasn’t been appreciated. City’s star striker has scored 38 goals in 43 games this season. If any other player had scored at such a staggering rate, they would rightly have been lauded for that feat.

Erling Haaland appears to be held to a different set for standards at times. It is a strange phenomenon. Perhaps it is a symptom of how good Erling Haaland is. Perhaps it isn’t. But there is no doubt that at times, he has been unappreciated this season. He looks set to win a second consecutive Premier League golden boot as his goals have been crucial in Manchester City’s chase for a fourth consecutive Premier League title.

In an interview published in the Daily Mail, Kevin De Bruyne raised the subject of Haaland’s form this season. City’s inspirational midfielder praised Haaland and his performances this season. De Bruyne said: “The season he had last year and the numbers were so incredible and ridiculous. When you have a season where it’s a little bit less, people don’t appreciate what you’ve done. But he’s now on 27 goals and probably going to win the Golden Boot again. It’s incredible. He’s been amazing again, and he’ll always do what he does.”

Despite not reaching the absurd goal scoring feats that he did last season, Haaland has had another massively productive season. While he has missed chances across the season, that is the life of a striker. It happens to the best players, and Haaland is no exception to this. He also missed two months of the season while he battled a foot injury. Despite this, he has been a key player in City’s chase for history this campaign.

How Erling Haaland is judged as a player is always interesting to watch. How many touches he has in a game is constantly brought up by commentators of City’s game. His overall game is always a topic of discussion, as evidenced by Roy Keane’s assessment that Erling Haaland’s play is that of a League Two player.

But Haaland’s job is to score goals, and that’s what he has done exceptionally well again this season. While he hasn’t been perfect this season, the statement from Kevin De Bruyne that Erling Haaland’s season hasn’t been appreciated is correct.

But if Manchester City do claim their fourth consecutive Premier League title on Sunday, it is doubtful that Erling Haaland will care about the assessmentof his season. If Pep Guardiola’s side creates history against West Ham, his teammates and Manchester City fans know how vital Haaland’s contribution would have been.