Pep Guardiola responds to Roy Keane's claims that Erling Haaland is a 'League Two player'

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has hit back at Roy Keane for claiming Erling Haaland's general play is "almost like a League Two player".

Keane delivered a scathing criticism of Haaland on Sky Sports after his underwhelming performance in Sunday's 0-0 draw against Premier League title rivals Arsenal.

Ahead of City's meeting with Aston Villa on Wednesday night, Guardiola was asked for his thoughts on Keane's comments and sought to defend his star striker.

"I am not agreeing with him," Guardiola stated. "It's like I said: 'He's a manager for the second or third league ' I don't think so'. He's the best striker in the world and helped us to win what we won last season, and the reason why we don't create many chances is not because of Erling. We played an exceptional game against Arsenal.

"I reviewed it - we just missed more people in the final third, maybe for the quality and different skills we have. I am surprised it [the criticism] has come from former players. From journalists I understand, because they have never been on the pitch."

After it was pointed out to Guardiola that Keane's comments were about Haaland's other contributions and a more rounded forward like Julian Alvarez may offer more up front, he added: "You are right, maybe if Julian will be there, Phil [Foden], Kevin [De Bruyne], Oscar Bobb, for example. They like to move in their positions [more]. But it is what it is."

Haaland leads the Premier League scoring charts again so far this season with 18 goals, while he has also chipped in with five assists. He ended last season with a record 36 league goals plus a modest eight assists.

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