Former Premier League keeper compares ex-Sunderland man to Erling Haaland

If you thought Sunderland and Erling Haaland couldn't exist in the same conversation, think again.
Former Premier League keeper compares ex-Sunderland man to Erling Haaland
Former Premier League keeper compares ex-Sunderland man to Erling Haaland

Former Sunderland striker Kenwyne Jones has been compared to Manchester City star Erling Haaland.

Haaland has started his Man City career incredibly, scoring 15 goals in just nine matches since joining from Borussia Dortmund in the summer.

That has got the whole footballing world talking, and former England goalkeeper Rob Green has offered Jones as an admittedly loose comparison to what it must be like to face the Norwegian.

“I was thinking this afternoon of a player [similar to Harland] and I was trying to think a bit left-field of someone you're playing against and where you're just standing there thinking 'we just do not know what we can do against him,’” Green said on BBC 5 Live’s Monday Night Club.

“The name that came to me, and it was only one game, and he's not a Premier League all-time great but it was Kenwyne Jones when he played for Sunderland. You stood there and played against him and just said 'we don't know what to do here'

“We tried to block him off for the crosses - we said, 'you - Lucas Neil, block him off' and he'd knock him over.

“He'd get onto the second [centre] half and knock him over, and just climb up above everybody, he'd climb up above me - sometimes, there's just nothing you can do to stop people.”

For all the comparison may initially sound silly, and no one is remotely saying Jones had the quality that Haaland possesses, it is at least understandable.

Before injuring his knee ligaments playing against England for Trinidad and Tobago, Jones was an almost surreally powerful player that was indeed pretty much impossible for defenders to contain. 

ALSO READ: Striker shortage blame-game should not dominate the Sunderland narrative

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Michael Graham
MICHAEL GRAHAM

Michael Graham is a professional sports writer with more than ten years of industry experience. After pursuing football writing by helping establish the Roker Report Sunderland AFC fansite, Michael moved to Planet Sport to cover football.  Michael has since worked on many of the sports sites within the Planet Sport network, including Football365, TEAMtalk and Planet Football before leaving to join 90min. As well as football, Michael is an accomplished tennis writer and has been regularly featured on Tennishead, TennisBuzz and Tennis365. It is football that is his first love, though, with Sunderland AFC his particular passion.  Contact: michael@buzzpublishing.co.uk

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