Erling Haaland tells all on how he was taught how to head the ball powerfully by Man United legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer when at Molde having struggled aerially
Erling Haaland has revealed Manchester United legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer taught him how to head the ball properly as he prepares for his first derby with Manchester City.
The Norwegian has started life in the Premier League in incredible fashion with 11 goals in just seven outings and Haaland will be desperate to add to that total at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Much has been made of the 6ft 5in Haaland’s aerial battle with United’s 5ft 9in centre-back Lisandro Martinez.
Erling Haaland’s powerful heading ability is one of the strongest attributes to his game
The Norwegian striker learned his heading technique from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Molde
And Haaland, 22, has spoken about the pivotal role ex-United striker and manager Solskjaer played in developing this particularly powerful facet of his game.
He told Sky Sports: ‘When I was in my hometown club, Bruyne, I couldn’t head the ball.
‘I wasn’t scared of it, but when you’re really new to something, you’re wondering how to do it.
‘Then when I joined Molde with Ole, he was like “you cannot head, we have to start doing this.”
The Norwegian striker scores with a header during a game for his old club Borussia Dortmund
Standing 6ft 5in tall, Haaland poses a threat to defenders both aerially and on the ground
‘So almost every single day, I got crosses from him and [assistant coach] Mark Dempsey and I was heading them in.
‘Mark was throwing the ball quite easily, I was standing at five metres [out] and he was in the goal. I tired to head it straight and we did it so much.
‘There’s nothing better than when you practise something and you see the results, thinking ‘this is getting easier’ or finally scoring a goal with your head. Then that’s also a motivation to become better.’
Solskjaer’s former club United head to the Etihad Stadium to take on City on Sunday
Lisandro Martinez will be tasked with keeping the Manchester City striker quiet in the derby
Haaland has scored headed goals in City’s victories over Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest during the early weeks of the season.
City remain unbeaten in seven league fixtures so far this season and are second in the table behind Arsenal, who beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 on Saturday.
They come up against a United team slowly gaining form under their new manager Erik ten Hag and who have won four consecutive league matches.
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Man United legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer taught Erling Haaland how to head the ball
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