Pep Guardiola hits back at recent Jamie Carragher criticism of Erling Haaland

Pep Guardiola has hit back at pundit Jamie Carragher, after the former player questioned whether Erling Haaland had joined the wrong club following the recent defeat to Tottenham.

Haaland, who has scored 32 goals in all competitions for Manchester City since signing from Borussia Dortmund in the summer, equalled Sergio Aguero’s Premier League goalscoring tally for a single season in midweek.

The Norwegian netted his 26th league goal of the campaign on Wednesday night as City moved to the top of the Premier League table with a crucial 3-1 win over Arsenal.

The 22 year-olds goal was his first away from home against any of the traditional ‘top six’ after failing to score at Anfield, Old Trafford or the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

After the Blues’ recent defeat to Tottenham, the striker faced criticism from pundit and former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, who suggested that Haaland had made the wrong decision signing for City.

Off the back of an imperious all-round performance at the Emirates in midweek, Pep Guardiola hit back at Carragher’s bizarre claims prior to Saturday’s trip to Nottingham Forest.

“Yes, absolutely. Yes, absolutely. (What did he mean?) I understand it. What can I say?! I’m open to all opinions. He will have his arguments,” replied Guardiola.

“What’s important is I have the feeling that he feels so happy here. His commitment is, not because he’s already scored 26 goals, he’s incredibly well-respected.

“It was a surprise for all of us, a real, real surprise. We didn’t know him, we know his stats, his numbers, his laughs when he plays in Dortmund, but all of us were really, really surprised, how he is as a boy. Because he is a boy. And that makes us so proud of him, we want to help him.

“But what I said, all opinions are more than welcome, and if Jamie Carragher said that, he will have his reasons.

“We are delighted to have him, and we are delighted he chose us, because at the end he had all the world in his hands, to choose where I’m going to play, to stay in Dortmund, or go to Madrid or Barcelona, or another team in England, and he chose us. That’s why we are more than happy.”

Haaland, who is on course to win the prestigious golden boot award, has already scored four Premier League hat-tricks – netting three times against Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest, Manchester United and Wolves.