Toure: Haaland is up there with Shearer and Henry

Kolo Toure believes Erling Haaland is right up there with the very best strikers to have graced the Premier League but warned that the City goalscoring ace will get even better in the future.

Toure spoke glowingly about the powerful No.9, hailing the Norwegian’s talent and humility.

Haaland has been sensational for City since joining us almost three-and-a-half years ago and joined the illustrious and iconic Premier League 100 Club in record-time earlier this month with his goal in the 5-4 triumph at Fulham.

That put him alongside the likes of Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry and Toure believes Haaland belongs among that higher echelon of star forwards.

“He’s right among the top, like Thierry Henry, Alan Shearer,” said Toure.

“What I like with Erling is he’s a humble guy. He’s an incredible person.

“He still has big room for improvement and he’s open to advice and he’s so humble.

“For what he achieved already, it scared me I have to be honest because when we have a top player like that normally the head can grow very quickly but he’s down to earth.

“This is incredible. In the future he will be even better in my opinion because he’s such a top player but a top human as well.”

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Before Toure turned his hand to coaching, the 44-year-old was a top-class centre-half for City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Celtic as well as starring for the Ivory Coast.

Asked how he would have handled someone like Haaland, he revealed catching some z’s the night before would have been essential, if a little tough to come by.

“I always say to him, I had that feeling every time I played a top striker it was always hard to sleep at night,” he continued.

“I say to Erling every time you play a team a lot of them won’t sleep at the moment because it’s always hard to play against a top striker.”

Toure made a name for himself in the heart of the defence during his hugely impressive career but he started out as a central midfield enforcer in his early days.

He was also utilised as a full-back on occasion so he’s the perfect person to assess the impact of versatile young starlet Nico O’Reilly who has also switched roles on the pitch.

“He’s an incredible young player,” he added.

“Honestly for me, his best position is left back for sure.

“He’s aggressive, wins 50 50s all the time and is technically very good.

“Of course, for him when you walk in the City Academy they teach you different positions because the learning they have there is to allow them to get into the team and if the manager needs to use you in different positions you will be able do it.

“That’s down to the Academy to coach the players to play different positions.

“You see that with Rico who plays in the middle but can also play right-back as well. “That’s fantastic. What Nico is doing right now is incredible. I’m so proud of him and his future is really, really bright.”

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