Pep Guardiola says he has no doubts that Erling Haaland will be ready to shine in the couple of huge finals coming up next month.

City take on Manchester United in the FA Cup final on 3 June and Inter in the Champions League final on 10 June.

Haaland has scored a remarkable 52 goals in all competitions across 2022/23 so far, including a record-breaking 36 in the Premier League.

But the Premier League Footballer and Young Footballer of the Season has managed one in his last six games – against Everton in the 3-0 win at Goodison Park.

That stat is not a cause of concern for Guardiola who has huge faith in his star striker to hit the goal trail very soon.

He said: “I’m not going to doubt the scoring machine of Erling right now.

“He had the chances but maybe he is waiting for the right moment. He will be ready in the right moment to score a goal. He is ready.

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“I am very pleased that he has achieved all that he has achieved, with the goals and the records and then he goes to Brighton and plays the way he played, fighting against two young lads and demanding a lot and finish with the legs and body and the damage that he had and still he was there.

“He could have said ‘I am waiting for the two finals’. It was completely the opposite and I like that. He is ready. Anyway he scored a goal!”

For those who may be questioning Haaland’s recent goal return, Guardiola reminisced about the criticism the young forward received after the season-opening Community Shield – and how he reacted at the time.

He added: “I don’t feel he had much pressure. I think he handled it really well at the age of 22, with the expectation he has.

“I remember in the Community Shield, we lost 3-1 and he missed one clear chance and all the people talked about that.

“We didn’t really know each other. It was just one month together. I was near to him and he said ‘Don’t worry. I will score goals’.

“He is this type of guy. He is ambitious to score and he has an incredible self confidence in himself that he will always have chances to score goals.

“That is the biggest value as a football player. It doesn’t matter what happens, they don’t lose confidence.

“What defines footballers and athletes is how you react in the bad moments.”