“You can read between the lines!” – Erling Haaland makes Champions League admission after heroic five-goal display

Erling Haaland believes he has been brought to Manchester City to lead the Premier League champions over the finish line in Europe.

The Norway international wrote further headlines in midweek by netting five times in City’s 7-0 (8-1 aggregate) Round of 16 return leg triumph against RB Leipzig, with the Blues cruising into the last eight of the competition with a dominant display at the Etihad Stadium.

Haaland, 22, who joined Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund for £51 million last summer, has registered 39 goals and five assists in 36 appearances across all competitions in his debut campaign in England.

City remain in the hunt for a third straight Premier League title as they look to hunt down current leaders Arsenal, who are sitting five points clear of Pep Guardiola’s men at the top of the pile.

Still competing on three fronts this term, the Blues face Vincent Kompany’s Burnley in the FA Cup quarter-final on Saturday before the international break.

After an uncharacteristically inconsistent spell at the beginning of the calendar year, City seem to have picked up their flair with five wins on the spin, the most recent being a pure demolition of opposition they struggled to break down at times in Leipzig.

However, five goals from Erling Haaland and strikes each from Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne delivered a crucial message to the remaining sides in the competition, who will be scared of the prospect of facing City in the quarter-final ahead of Friday’s draw in Nyon.

Speaking in a post-match interview, Haaland was asked whether a link exists between his decision to join City in the summer and the club’s desire of bringing home a maiden Champions League title.

“It’s a difficult question because I can easily make headlines with this answer. Of course, the club (Manchester City) wants to win the Champions League, they want to still win trophies,” the Leeds-born forward said.

“They (City) won the Premier League four times out of the last five years. So, they didn’t bring me to win the Premier League, they know how to win the Premier League.

“So, you can read between the lines. But I’m here to try and help the club develop even more, to try and win the Champions League for the first time.”

Haaland’s latest scoring exploits have taken him to 10 goals in this season’s Champions League and Guardiola will be hanging his hopes on the Norwegian to make the difference for City in the upcoming knockout stages.