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‘They look made for each other’ – Erling Haaland will be a total nightmare for Prem defenders, says Chelsea hero Flo

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TORE ANDRE FLO has a message for defenders already trembling at the prospect of shackling Erling Haaland — it will be even tougher than you feared.

Haaland starts his new life as Manchester City’s spearhead striker and comes with the reputation as Europe’s hottest young hitman.

Erling Haaland will spearhead Man City’s attack wearing the No9 shirtCredit: Instagram @mancity
Chelsea hero Tore Andre Flo has praised Haaland’s ability to get in front and behind defendersCredit: Sportsfile

It is easy to see why many reckon the £51.4million City paid for the 21-year-old superstar is a snip.

Silencing a man who smashed 86 goals in his two-and-a-half seasons with Borussia Dortmund was never going to be easy.

Yet Flo, who knows all about cracking the Prem as a foreign forward, reckons backlines across the land now face even greater misery — thanks to Norway’s failure to make the World Cup.

Former Chelsea star Flo said: “Missing out on the finals is obviously a massive disappointment to Erling, but that could be a huge advantage to City.

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“It gives him an extra month or so to get to know his new club and to work with boss Pep Guardiola.

“And, of course, to be fitter and fresher than coming back from a very intense tournament.”

Liverpool can point out that Mo Salah will also have his feet up while others  slug it out in the November heat of Qatar — yet the Egyptian is nearly a decade older.

Flo thinks the bookies — who already have Haaland as hot favourite to be leading marksman in his debut Premier League campaign — are spot on.

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He added: “When people talk of having a striker’s instinct, that’s one thing, but to combine it with his quality is not something you see very often.

“Of course there will be a lot of pressure on him at City — but don’t forget he will be playing with a lot more quality around him as well. It just seems to be the perfect fit for both.

“With the type of players he’ll be playing with and the way he scores his goals, they just really look made for each other.

“City put a lot of low balls to the far post and, if you’re a natural goalscorer, that’s what you dream of.

“He will get on the end of so many of them.

“He’s so sharp at getting in front of defenders,  first to so many crosses.

“High or low, he doesn’t care, he just gets on the end of them and usually scores —  he really strikes the ball so cleanly.”

Flo, now 48 and boss of hometown club Sogndal, didn’t do too badly himself after arriving to far less fanfare when Chelsea paid Brann £300,000 in 1997.

He scored on his debut — as he did for Rangers and Sunderland — and won the FA and Cup Winners’ Cup among five major trophies in three years at Stamford Bridge.

Yet Haaland is already heading for even greater heights — and no amount of pressure will stop the goals from flowing.

Flo said: “No matter how big the game or how much pressure, he has coped.

“There are a lot of great defenders in England — but even they will find it very hard to stop him.”

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