Pep Guardiola believes Erling Haaland can become a better player by watching Tottenham’s Harry Kane

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes that Erling Haaland can improve as a player by watching Tottenham star Harry Kane among other leading football stars.

With two of the Premier League’s very best strikers going head-to-head for the second time this season on Sunday afternoon, onlookers are anticipating a masterclass in both finishing and striker-instinct at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Last time out, it was Haaland and his Manchester City teammates who took away all three points from the game, with Pep Guardiola and his players coming from behind at half-time to win 4-2 against Antonio Conte’s men.

That night, the Norwegian striker notched yet another goal in a hugely impressive personal season, having scored a staggering 31 goals and registering a further three assists across just 27 matches in all competitions for Manchester City.

But the former Borussia Dortmund man is not satisfied, and his relentless desire to constantly improve in all aspects of his game has caught Pep Guardiola by surprise, with the City boss also believing that a lot can be learnt from watching his striking counterpart at Spurs.

“I think with Erling (Haaland), one of the attributes that he has that surprised me the most is the fact, the feeling that he knows he can improve in many, many things,” Pep Guardiola admitted.

“I’m pretty sure in watching Harry Kane, but not necessarily just watching Harry, and other players (he can improve). He has that will to do better.”

“With his age, this is the best thing he can believe. Otherwise it will be boring. Until we pass away, always we can improve. It’s the only thing in our lives. Never, never stop. Never stop what we can do.”

One player who is certainly going from strength to strength following the conclusion of the FIFA World Cup is England international Jack Grealish – who has been a mainstay in Pep Guardiola’s line-ups since the return of club football.

However, Grealish has still only contributed two goals across all competitions this season, and once again, Pep Guardiola has been asked whether he is surprised by the former Aston Villa captain’s output in a goalscoring sense.

“He’s a regular starter because he’s playing really good,” Guardiola said. “I rotate the team a lot, but at the same time I see how they perform every single game and you have to try to continue, and Jack is playing really good.”

Guardiola continued, “His contributions in assists was clear in two or three games, against Leeds and Chelsea, he’s scoring goals and is close to scoring more. Continue with that.”

The £100 million forward, alongside his attacking teammate Erling Haaland, will be confident of retaining his place in Pep Guardiola’s starting line-up for Sunday afternoon’s clash against Tottenham.

Fellow forward Phil Foden has only recently returned to full first-team training following a foot problem sustained against Manchester United last month, and is likely to feature in some capacity at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.