Erling Haaland backed to beat Shearer 100-goal record on Toon hero’s home turf

Pep Guardiola hopes to see Manchester City striker Erling Haaland break Alan Shearer’s record as the fastest man to reach 100 Premier League goals on the former England captain’s old St James’ Park stomping ground this weekend.

But the City boss said Shearer’s achievements will stand the test of time regardless.

Haaland moved on to 99 league goals from 108 appearances for City with his strike in the 3-0 win over Liverpool before the international break, and seems certain to reach his century faster than Shearer’s mark of 124 games.

And with City heading to Newcastle on Saturday, the Norwegian – who has scored 14 across 11 Premier League appearances so far this term – could do it in the stadium where Shearer’s statue stands outside.

“It would be good because that means he’s scored goals!” Guardiola said. “Alan Shearer has been so far the greatest top scorer in this league and whatever happens with Erling in his career here, Alan Shearer will still be top (for) his quality to score goals.

“He won the Premier League, but not in the teams that everybody knows.”

Shearer, a title winner with Blackburn in 1995 before joining his boyhood club Newcastle, remains the Premier League’s all-time top goalscorer with 260, 47 clear of Harry Kane who is next on the list.

That is a record Haaland might one day threaten, certainly if he sees out a City contract that runs until 2034, but it remains a long way off at the moment.

“The guys who have been making numbers for a long time, not just one or two seasons, I always admire them because it means resilience and being there every season,” Guardiola added.

“They don’t score goals for one season. They do it over a lot of seasons and that means being incredibly focused, professional and you have to love the game…

“You don’t have to know mathematics to realise that if he (Haaland) stays a long, long time and continues this average, he will be close to Harry Kane and close to Alan Shearer, that’s for sure.

“But I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, to be honest.”

Haaland’s most recent goals came against his team-mate Gianluigi Donnarumma as he scored a brace in Norway’s 4-1 World Cup qualifying win over Italy.

That took him to a stunning 16 goals in eight qualifiers for Norway, who are back in the World Cup for the first time since 1998 while Donnarumma’s Italy must face Northern Ireland in the qualifying play-off semi-finals.

Donnarumma appears to have settled in well at City, keeping four clean sheets in his first eight appearances while making a number of eye-catching saves.

Asked about the challenge of the Premier League, the 26-year-old said: “We have more intensity, and all the matches are very difficult and it’s very different.

“Serie A and Ligue 1 are very, very difficult leagues. But for me, the Premier League is a step (up) and a plus for my career. It’s difficult because it’s 90 minutes to the end and you have to be concentrated. Playing in the Premier League, playing with Manchester City – I’m very, very happy.”