WHILE many of his club team-mates were playing international football during the summer, Erling Haaland spent it helping his dad chop wood.
The Manchester City striker would no doubt have preferred to have been at the Euros with Norway but they failed to qualify so it was a summer of chores and relaxation instead.
And it seems to have done him the world of good.
Two games in and he has scored four goals, adding another hat-trick to his collection in Saturday’s 4-1 win against Ipswich.
It means he already has double the tally of any other player – albeit very early into the new season – but his manager Pep Guardiola is excited by how hungry a refreshed Haaland looks.
“I said a few weeks ago he feels better than previous seasons,” said Guardiola following the victory at Etihad Stadium.
“I remember he said before he was still tired, but this season with no Euros he arrived really well.
“Of course he cannot play all the games until the end of the season but you know how important he is, scoring so many goals.”
Haaland has finished as the Premier League’s top scorer in each of his two seasons so far in England.
He hit an incredible 36 goals in the 2022-23 campaign and 27 last term. The latter was still five more than anyone else, despite missing several games through injury.
Haaland is now just six goals away from the landmark of 100 for Manchester City, a tally even more incredible considering he has played just 101 games.
“The numbers are ridiculous,” said Guardiola.
“He can compete in terms of goals with Ronaldo and Messi.
“It is an incredible strength for us and we are very happy to have him, hopefully he can be here for many, many years.”