Jesse Marsch jokes he's 'not trying to hate Erling Haaland too much' as he reunites former striker

Erling Haaland and his former RB Salzburg manager Jesse Marsch were reunited on the sideline after Manchester's 3-1 win over Leeds on Wednesday.

Haaland had just scored two goals in City's win leading Marsch to start the link-up off by saying 'I'm trying not to hate him too much.'

The American-born Leeds coach knows the striker only too well after working with him in Austria in 2019.

'Actually, Erling I think we did a decent job with you for the most part,' Marsch continued.

'Like I know with you, your ability to sniff out plays and know where to be in the right moments.

'So I felt like for the most part we were hard to breakdown, but we gave away two transitions.

'And this is where for me as good as he is in all moments of the game, if you get him out into open space, he is very difficult to deal with.'

That difficulty to deal with allowed Haaland to score 29 goals in 27 appearances for Salzburg three years ago.

Haaland would go on to Borussia Dortmund where he would put up similar goal scoring numbers in over 60 appearances before his move to Manchester City this summer.

Since arriving in Manchester Haaland has already netted 26 goals across all competitions.

Marsch once said of Haaland's move to City: 'He is destined to be one of the best players in the world. It's his quality but also his talent.

'It'll be interesting. He's an explosive player in transition and Man City often play a lot in possession.

'He can play any style of play but I certainly believe it makes Man City – one of, if not the best team in the world – even better.'