Enzo Maresca has bizarrely ruled out Erling Haaland becoming his new captain at Manchester City – because he scores too many goals.
As Maresca gears up for the start of his first season as City boss, he is currently weighing up who to appoint as skipper following Bernardo Silva’s departure this summer.
Goal machine Haaland is among the lead candidates to take the armband, alongside Ruben Dias and Rodri – with the trio part of the club’s leadership group last season, while Phil Foden has also been given an outside chance.
And the Norwegian’s hopes of becoming captain might have been boosted recently, with Rodri looking set to depart for Barcelona.
Haaland has certainly led by example in his performances since his arrival at the Etihad in 2022.
He has plundered in a staggering 162 goals in this time, firing the Citizens to three Premier League titles and the 2023 Champions League among his nine major honours with the club.
However, it turns out Haaland’s exploits in front of goal could actually prevent him from being handed the City armband.
Strict criteria
Maresca recently addressed the possibility of Haaland leading his team out, and revealed a unique reason which could prevent this.
Asked if Haaland is a leading candidate to become City’s new skipper, he told reporters: “Erling was one of the first to send a message when I joined the club.
“At Leicester and Chelsea, I had a rule that when we scored, the captain had to come to the bench not to celebrate for instructions.
“But if he scores, then he can celebrate.
“So if Erling is the captain, we have a problem. F****** hell, can you imagine?”
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While Maresca seemingly ruled Haaland of contention for the captaincy, defender Dias is expected to get the armband instead.
And the ex-Chelsea boss’ system has already been showcased during Man City’s pre-season tour of the Far East, as he pointed to a recent win over a K League All Stars XI where Dias captained the side.
Maresca said: “If you saw the game on Wednesday, when we scored the first goal, Ruben came over to the bench.
“I think even if it is two or three minutes, there is always something to adjust.”
Stick to scoring goals
Maresca’s intriguing comments about Haaland and a leadership role sparked a discussion on talkSPORT Breakfast, with Gabby Agbonlahor and Jeff Stelling debating whether he could lead from the front.
And both agreed that while the 26-year-old possesses leadership qualities, they felt his main priority should remain scoring goals.
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Agbonlahor began: “I think strikers shouldn’t be captain, to be honest.
“I think concentrate on scoring goals. I’m old school, centre midfielders or centre-halves can be captain.”
He added: “I look at that Man City side. I wouldn’t say Haaland needs to be captain. He’s a goal scorer.”
The former Aston Villa striker also said: “When it’s kicking off during the game and the referee needs to speak to you. Haaland’s like: ‘You sort that out guys, I want to score’.
“He never gets involved when it’s pushing and shoving. He’s just there concentrating on scoring.”
Stelling then chimed in: “Haaland is, rightly for a striker, totally self-centred, totally self-centred. All it’s about is him scoring goals. Nothing else.
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“He’s not going to be there trying to drive the rest of the team on. Which I think [you’d get] from, maybe a combative midfield player or a big central defender, somebody who’s got more of an overview.”
Anderson a surprise pick for captaincy
Moving on to who could succeed Silva as captain, Agbonlahor named Dias as the standout candidate, before surprisingly suggesting new £116million arrival Elliot Anderson could be considered.
He explained: “The manager will have his idea. I think Ruben Dias is the standout, isn’t he?
“He’s captain material when he plays the game – very aggressive. He’s a leader. He’s always cheering his teammates on.
“Elliot Anderson, maybe. He’s a new signing. He’s going to be in the team.”
“If Rodri stays, obviously it could be Rodri. But I see Elliot Anderson – you know, big money move, [he] looks like captain material to me.”
