Ex-Premier League player questions Haaland's 'world-class' status

Former Premier League star Rafael van der Vaart has sparked a fresh debate in the football world by claiming that Erling Haaland is not yet in the same "world-class" category as Mohamed Salah.

The Dutchman, speaking about the two forwards, suggested that while the Norwegian has enjoyed immense success at Manchester City, he has yet to reach the same level of consistency and influence that Salah has shown at Liverpool over the years.

"Take away his pace, I see Erling Haaland as a normal player. Technique-wise, he’s not good enough and he can get away with it when City are on form but not when they’re struggling. I just think he’s missing something that those top, top strikers have," he said.

"I might get criticised for that opinion, but I don’t see him at the same level as the top strikers I played with, like Ruud van Nistelrooy. Manchester City need Erling Haaland at the moment, but where is he? That’s why he’s not among that select few world-class strikers," Van der Vaart continued.

He went on to add: "I am a big fan of [Kylian] Mbappe but he is not showing it at the moment. You have Vinicius Jr too, but I think that Salah has been consistent for so many years. You can see he feels really at home at Liverpool and he should stay."