Erling Haaland believes he is not close to being on the same level as Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo but the Manchester City striker says he is in “a good way” to beat his best total return of 56 goals in a season.

After Sunday’s 3-1 win against Bournemouth Pep Guardiola again compared Haaland’s numbers to Messi and Ronaldo, with City’s manager adding how the Argentinean and Portuguese were consistent over “15 seasons”. Haaland was asked if he views himself on the same level. “No, not at all, far off. No one can get close to them, so no,” the 25-year-old said.

This season Haaland has already scored 26 times in 16 appearances in all competitions, registering 13 Premier League strikes, four in the Champions League, and nine for Norway. City could play a maximum of 52 more games this term, while Norway could have 12 more matches if they reach the World Cup final plus a yet to be decided number of friendlies.

Haaland was asked if he can beat his best ever tally of 2022-3. “Yeah I had 56 in total with the national team, so I’m on a good way,” he said. “I don’t think of...