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Manchester City forward Erling Haaland was seen interacting with Al-Nassr’s Sadio Mane as the two stars prepared for the upcoming season. Mane, whose team is in Spain for pre-season, met with both Erling and Alf-Inge (Alfie) Haaland for the first time, and they seemingly enjoyed a pleasant interaction.
After an extended summer break, Haaland had a successful pre-season with Manchester City, scoring five goals in four games in the United States. Although he has returned with the team, he arrived in Spain with his father, where they met the former Liverpool star.
Mane, who moved from Liverpool to Bayern Munich in 2021 and joined Al-Nassr last season, has been a key player for the Saudi Arabian side. Al-Nassr’s Instagram account captured their meeting in Spain during their summer’s pre-season.
During their interaction, Haaland greeted Mane with:
“How are you, my friend? How's life?"
To that, Mane responded:
“Good.”
Haaland also inquired if Mane was happy:
"How's life? Happy?"
Mane replied:
“Yeah."
Haaland’s father, Alfie, then asked when Al-Nassr’s pre-season starts, and the pair ended their meeting with a handshake and a friendly goodbye. The Haaland family also met former Real Madrid legend Fernando Hierro, with Alfie taking a picture with the defender.
The 24-year-old striker, who has been outstanding for Manchester City, has netted 90 goals and provided 15 assists in just 98 games across competitions in just two seasons. He has won six trophies during his time in Manchester.
Meanwhile, Mane is set to feature for Al-Nassr in the semi-final of the Saudi Super Cup against Al-Taawoun on Wednesday, August 14.
Erling Haaland’s Manchester City enter as favorites for the Premier League
Manchester City have been nearly unstoppable in recent years, winning six of the last seven Premier League titles. They are the first team from the country to win the league title four consecutive times, and would be aiming to make it five this season.
Despite signing only Savinho, the English champions still boast several quality players and are favorites to win the title again. They will kick off the season with the Community Shield match against their fierce rivals Manchester United on August 10, Saturday.
Pep Guardiola primarily used young talents during the pre-season tour, as many senior players are still on extended breaks following international duty. However, he received a major boost with senior players, including Kevin De Bruyne, Jeremy Doku, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva, and Matheus Nunes, all returning to the City Football Academy this week.
After their clash with United, Manchester City will face Chelsea in their opening Premier League match at Stamford Bridge on 18 August, followed by their first home game against Ipswich Town on 24 August.
