Erling Haaland instantly delights Man City fans by aiming dig at arch-rivals United as £51.4m man unveiled at stadium

ERLING HAALAND wasted no time endearing himself to his new fans at Manchester City.

Thousands turned out to see the new £51.4 million signing - who has promised to stay for "at least" five years - unveiled outside the Etihad ahead of his first day of training on Monday.

And the son of former Man City captain Alfie – who has followed the club all his life - said all the right things.

He claimed he could barely bring himself to say the words ‘Manchester United’ when asked which fixture he was looking forward to the most.

The 22-year-old also revealed he has a collection of shirts at home bearing the name of the club’s all-time leading goalscorer Sergio Aguero.

He has been watching and admiring Pep Guardiola’s brilliant team from afar in recent years and now he can’t wait to be part of it.

When he played at the Etihad with former club Borussia Dortmund 18 months ago he just remembers going for about 25 minutes without touching the ball.

Haaland could have moved to Spain this summer but just felt this was the right place for him.

He said: “I’ve watched City ever since Pep Guardiola took over in 2016 so I know exactly how they play.

“I played against them in Champions League last year.

FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS - BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS

“You see something on TV and then when you meet it is completely different.

I didn’t touch the ball for 25 minutes and it is like ‘Gundogan please stop playing tiki-taka’.

“It is a different level how they play and that is what I want to be a part of. I just had that feeling I wanted to play for City.”

Haaland’s dad played a big role in persuading him to join City and has clearly taught him well.

Asked about the fixture he was relishing the most, he delighted the crowd by saying: “I don’t like to say the words….Manchester United.”

He revealed he has a collection of AGUERO 10 shirts at home and said: "Of course I admired him, he is a legend, one of the best ever to play in the Premier League.

“I remember a lot of goals he scored especially the 93.20 goal against QPR – but there were a lot.”

And talking about the famous photo of him in his City shirt as a youngster, he said: “That was a really nice picture, I like it a lot, it was my father who took the picture of me.

“But it is nice to be here, I was born in England, I lived here for four years and then I moved to Norway, so it is a good feeling.”

'ENJOY EVERY SINGLE MINUTE'

City are certainly happy to have him and he is determined to enjoy himself in Manchester – and promised to stay for the long haul, whatever the next five years bring.

With rumours he may look to move to Real Madrid in the near future, Haaland was asked how long he will stay in Manchester.

He replied: "I signed a five-year deal so we have to start there at least."

Asked if he had shunned Real Madrid and Barcelona to join City, he said: “In the end I just had the feeling in my stomach, that feeling the way they play, everything, I had the feeling for City.”

Asked what type of player he is, he said: “A player that smiles a lot, works a lot and hopefully enjoys the game a lot.

“It is a big challenge, it is a new country, a new league, new coach, new everything.

“But I know how it is to come to a new club, I have done it a couple of times before. I am really looking forward to it.

“Like I have been doing my whole career, I’ll try to enjoy every single minute, every moment, and try not to think too much.

“Overthinking is not a good thing for every human being. I just try to relax when I can and work hard.”

He arrives at City with a reputation as one of the hottest young talents around – with 113 goals in 156 league games already.

But the worry for defenders in England is he is convinced he can get better under new boss Guardiola.

He said: “I can improve everything, headers, shooting,. Left foot, right foot, movement, with the ball, off the ball.

“There are so many good players here, with huge potential. City are already the Premier League winners and there is so much potential. I am really excited.”