Erling Haaland is unlikely to be given the captain’s armband at Manchester City due to his goalscoring prowess, head coach Enzo Maresca has indicated.
The new City boss utilises the ploy of insisting his skipper comes to the touchline for a tactic update when a goal is scored.
As Haaland scores so many of the team’s goals, Maresca does not feel it would be a good idea for the Norway striker to fill the vacancy left by Bernardo Silva’s departure.
“At Leicester and Chelsea, I had a rule that when we scored, the captain had to come to the bench for instructions and not celebrate,” he told journalists on the club’s preseason tour of Asia.
“But if he scores, then he can celebrate. If Erling is the captain, f—— hell — we have a problem, can you imagine?
“I think even if it is two or three minutes, there is always something to adjust. At the moment, we have three or four [captains] and we are missing one [Rodri is recovering from back surgery].
“In the case of Rodri [who has been linked with Barcelona], see what happens.”
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England Under-21 striker Divin Mubama has joined Southampton on loan, having spent last season at fellow Championship side Stoke, where he scored five times in 28 appearances.
The 21-year-old, who impressed on City’s Asia tour, told Saints’ website: “I believe in myself, 100%. With the way this team plays, when you’ve got players around you that have that much quality, you will be served.
“It’s up to you whether you put the ball in the back of the net, and that’s what I’m here to do.
“I’ve just come back from a preseason where I’ve scored goals. I’ve been playing, I feel really fresh, I feel sharp, so I’m just really excited to get going.”
