Brighton and Hove Albion star Jan Paul van Hecke has kept his rivalry with Erling Haaland going but admitted he’s sure the Manchester City striker knows who he is by now.
[VoetbalZone](https://www.voetbalzone.nl/nieuws/jan-paul-van-hecke-over-erling-haaland-oranje-en-de-premier-league/bltec36da7af90c2153) have an interview with the Brighton defender today in which he discusses various topics, including coming up against the best strikers in the world in the Premier League.
He’s had a running battle with Haaland for some time, earning plenty of media coverage last season when the pair were close to coming to blows after a particularly feisty encounter which Van Hecke came out on top in.
It was the same over the weekend as Brighton secured a 2-1 win against Pep Guardiola’s side and Haaland was largely kept quiet once again.
He and Van Hecke had a running battle through that game, and the Brighton defender admits he relishes it each time.
_“I’ve been playing in the Premier League for four years now, and when you face each other every season and have tough matches, something naturally develops,”_ he said.
_“I think that’s great, and I think he does too. That’s what you play in this league: you want to push each other to the limit. When you play against Haaland, you have to be ready, otherwise he’ll eat you up.”_
The Premier League is now a hotbed of striker talent after a busy summer in which even more were added to the ranks in Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyökeres.
They join the likes of Haaland, Alexander Isak, Ollie Watkins and Mohamed Salah at the top of the table competing for the Golden Boot this season.
England’s top flight is now stacked full of forward talent and Van Hecke is looking forward to taking them on, as it only helps develop his own game.
_“In the Premier League, you naturally encounter so many different types of strikers,”_ he added.
_“For example, I’ve faced Isak, Haaland, and Watkins. They’re all different types of strikers. Ultimately, you have to make sure you can handle everyone._
_“But I think it’s great: when you hear all those names, you realise you’re playing against the best of the best. You can measure yourself against them every week.”_