Pep Guardiola drops the F-word in press conference after reporter's question about Erling Haaland

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was asked whether Erling Haaland could take any more steps to becoming the "perfect striker in his system" – and his response is going viral.

One of the most asked questions when Haaland completed his £51 million move from Borussia Dortmund last summer was whether he could adapt to Guardiola's possession-based system.

Some raised concerns over his skillset to thrive but the Norwegian flourished in a record-breaking debut season that featured 52 goals in 53 games.

Haaland, who broke Alan Shearer and Andy Cole's record for most goals in a Premier League season [36], has proven many doubters wrong in the past year or so.

But clearly some feel he could go push himself even further and make even more history.

Earlier this week, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was speaking to reporters on the club's pre-season of Japan, where they recently recorded a 2-1 win over Bayern Munich.

Here, a journalist asked the following question: "History has shown that it usually takes quite a long time for players to adapt fully to your style of play.

"Erling had a fantastic first season of course, but I guess he's not at 100%. How would you rate him compared to being the perfect striker in your system."

He added: "How many steps does he have left, and what's the process going forward, to make him even better for Manchester City?"

Guardiola, puzzled by the question, responded: "I would say that Erling Haaland has adapted quite well to Manchester City, when you score more than 60 goals."

Moments later, he looked quizzically towards the reporter before commenting: "F***. He has adapted really quick and really good. It's not any issue."

Image credit: Reddit/u/TheBiasedSportsLover

Guardiola also stated in the press conference that Haaland “has the desire to get better” but is in the “perfect environment” to do so at Manchester City, who will be looking to defend their Premier League crown in the coming months.

City will face Atletico Madrid on Sunday in their final pre-season game before coming up against Arsenal in the Community Shield on August 6.

Topics: Erling Haaland, Manchester City, Pep Guardiola, Premier League

Jack Kenmare

Senior Journalist at SPORTbible with a passion for long-form journalism. Almost 10 years’ experience across online and print.

@jackkenmare_