Eric Dier thinks Man City have a £51m player who is ‘one of the best in the world’

Add as preferred source on Google

Manchester City have a squad filled with superstars across all positions, but Eric Dier believes one in particular is one of the best in the world.

Pep Guardiola has curated a team with talent, and while they might not be performing at the levels of the past, they still have stars who can deliver on their day.

Dier competed against this version of Manchester City in midweek for Monaco, giving him firsthand experience of the team despite the fact that he no longer plays in the Premier League.

One member of Guardiola’s squad particularly impressed him, with the experienced defender finding him to be a handful.

Eric Dier believes Erling Haaland is a ‘very intelligent player’

Dier has been able to play against many of the greatest strikers in the world throughout his career, but he believes Manchester City’s Erling Haaland is up there with the best of them.

The England international experienced that firsthand on Wednesday night when Monaco played the Premier League side in the Champions League.

Haaland was at his absolute best in that fixture, scoring twice as the two teams drew 2-2, and Dier praised the Norwegian TNT Sports Brasil.

“Of course. He’s a very intelligent player. I think it’s the way they play with [Phil] Foden and with him, always trying to create numerical superiority. I think they do that very well, obviously.

“He’s not a player who is constantly involved in the game, and sometimes that makes it even harder. It looks like he’s switching off. It looks like he’s asleep, but he isn’t. Yes, exactly.

“Obviously, he’s one of the best in the world, and that’s what you expect from him. He scored two goals, so we didn’t manage it very well, but in the end, we still got the result.”

However, Dier had the last laugh in the game against Manchester City, scoring a 90th-minute penalty to secure a point for Monaco.

Erling Haaland has made a strong start to the 2025-26 season

Haaland has proven himself to be an elite-level goalscorer throughout his entire career, and that has certainly been true throughout his Manchester City career.

That is particularly true for this season, as Haaland has made a brilliant start to the 2025-26 campaign from an individual perspective.

He is currently the top goalscorer in the Premier League after the opening six games, despite Manchester City only winning half of their matches in the competition this season.

Haaland also made history with his Champions League goals, becoming the quickest player to score 50 goals in the competition, taking just 52 games to achieve the total.