Manchester City enjoyed the perfect start to the 2025/26 campaign with a 4-0 win against Wolves at Molineux.
Tijjani Reijnders produced a Man of the Match performance on his debut as Manchester City’s summer arrivals immediately hit the ground running.
James Trafford earned rave reviews after keeping a clean sheet, and fellow newcomer Rayan Cherki joined Reijnders on the scoresheet in the Black Country.
The Citizens fell way off the pace of eventual champions Liverpool in the league last term, and the pressure will be on Pep Guardiola to return the Premier League crown to Manchester.
Pep Guardiola looks on during Manchester City's Premier League match against Wolves.
Photo by Neal Simpson/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images
However, after Reijnders matched a Sergio Aguero record on his debut, ex-Manchester United captain and pundit Gary Neville believes another Citizen could match the heights the Argentine reached during his spell at the Etihad.
Erling Haaland can match Sergio Aguero at Manchester City
When speaking live on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, Neville shared his belief that Erling Haaland will match the impact Aguero had for Manchester City.
“His numbers goals wise are off the scale. Haaland is the best centre forward in the league. I spent about seven or eight years saying Aguero should score 40 goals every season, he’s that good.
“And I think the same of Haaland. The amount of chances he gets. He should be scoring 40 goals. He’s that good. I mean, he won’t. But we could get pretty close with the quality. I mean, even in the Premier League, he should be scoring more than a goal a game. He’s that good him.”
Aguero is the sixth all-time Premier League goalscorer, having scored 184 goals in 275 outings across his illustrious career in England.
Haaland appeared like his usual self against Wolves, continuing his trend of getting on the scoresheet on the opening day, but he has a long way to go before he can be mentioned in the same breath as the former Manchester City number 10.
The Norwegian signed a contract until 2034, which will see the forward remain at the Etihad until his 34th birthday and more than enough time to eclipse the tally Aguero achieved at the club.
How does Erling Haaland compare to Sergio Aguero?
Haaland took the Premier League by storm following his £51 million arrival from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2022.
His maiden campaign remains his most productive in a Manchester City shirt to date, as he broke multiple records, including the record for the most goals scored in a single league campaign.
Rank Player Season Appearances Minutes Played Goals Assists
1 Erling Haaland 2022/23 35 2,769 36 8
2 Sergio Aguero 2014/15 33 2,531 26 8
Statistics provided by FBref.
Aguero’s best return occurred during the 2014/15 season, wherein he scored 10 fewer goals than Haaland managed despite featuring a similar number of times in the league.
Indeed, Haaland’s 86 Premier League goals are still a way off what Aguero achieved, but the stats prove that it will only be a matter of time before the centre forward surpasses his Manchester City legacy.