The former City stars are convinced the Norwegian is an ideal fit for English football and his mere presence can drag defenders into areas they’d rather not be.
Haaland scored his third goal of the campaign at St James’ Park and Howey is expecting him to become a major force in the weeks and months ahead.
“Haaland is perfect for the Premier League, and I think he will terrorize defenders,” said Howey.
CITY+ | SIGN UP TO ACCESS EXCLUSIVE CONTENT
“I’ve had little discussions with Alfie, his dad, and I just knew he would fly in this league because he’s got the physique and power plus, he is direct, aggressive and he’s almost a throwback to the traditional number nine of yesteryear combined with the modern striker because he has the attributes of both.
“I’m not surprise by what I’ve seen so far, and I think he’s going to get better and better, stronger, and score plenty of goals as the season goes on.”
Sinclair concurred with Howey’s assessment but highlighted Erling’s clever movement and how that is already benefiting his team-mates.
“I’ve noticed that apart from those balls we have been playing in behind the defence for him to run on to, when he comes a little bit deeper, it allows Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo to run into those spaces he’s created and that’s because the central defenders are preoccupied thinking they can’t allow Haaland to get in behind them,” said Sinclair.
“I love his mentality because as well as his undoubted physicality, when he scores his goals, you can see him waving his arms and making little gestures to anyone who is doubting him.
“He’s got this inner determination that is saying, ‘I don’t care how many doubters I’ve got, I’m gonna score goals’ and his celebrations sort of encapsulate all that.
“His mentality is fantastic and provided he can steer clear of injury, I think he’s going to score an unbelievable number of goals for City.”
