‘My ego is beyond Manchester City’: Guardiola hits back at Zlatan with savage reply after striker’s ‘warning’ to Haaland

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola had a savage response for Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, after the latter had hinted that Guardiola may not be able to improve Erling Haaland because of the manager’s “ego.” Haaland is having a dream run in his first Premier League season, having scored 17 goals in merely 11 matches and 22 goals overall in 15 appearances for Manchester City.

Haaland had joined city in a 51m deal from Borussia Dortmund in the summer transfer window and quickly proved he could settle under Guardiola, who has often played without a central striker with Manchester City in the past few years.

Zlatan, who had worked with Guardiola during the former’s time at Barcelona in 2009-10 and had a spectacular fall-out with the Spaniard that saw the striker leaving the Catalan club only after a year, had warned Haaland to not allow Guardiola’s ‘ego’ to hamper his career.

“Is Guardiola able to improve him? That depends on the ego that Guardiola has,’ Ibrahimovic said. ‘If he allows himself to be bigger than Haaland or not. He didn’t allow me or the others to be as big,” Zlatan had said on Canal Plus.

The Manchester City manager came back at Zlatan with a savage response during the club’s press conference. “He is right, he is completely right – in this club, in this team, my ego is beyond every other person,” Guardiola said sarcastically.

It didn’t end there.

“I don’t like it when Erling scores three goals, and all the highlights are for him. I am so jealous! Honestly, so jealous!” Guardiola further said.

“I said: ‘Erling, please no more goals, otherwise the Sun and Daily Mail won’t talk about me’.”

Manchester City are currently second in the Premier League table with 29 points in 12 matches; Arsenal lead the table with 31 points.