Karen Carney snubs Erling Haaland as top scorer – as she ‘wants different name’

Manchester City's Erling Haaland is already well on his way to retaining the Premier League's Golden Boot – but Karen Carney is backing another name for the prize this season.

The Norway international shattered records en route to the individual gong during his debut campaign in England. Haaland, 23, set a new benchmark of 36 goals in a Premier League season and was both named both Player of the Season and Young Player of the Season as City clinched the Treble.

His hopes of defending the honour took a positive turn at Turf Moor on Friday when Pep Guardiola's side started the new campaign with a convincing 3-0 win. And Haaland was at the double to instantly take a share of the Premier League's top scorer race.

But Carney nonetheless picked out another name to pip him to the Golden Boot, naming Liverpool's Mohamed Salah as her prediction on the first Monday Night Football of the season. The former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder appeared alongside fellow Sky Sports pundits Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville, who each selected Haaland to retain his top scorer trophy.

READ MORE: Neville and Carragher show off new MNF feature – but fans only notice their trainers

"I just wanted a different name! I think it's just whether he stays fit or not," said Carney – who earned 144 caps for England during an 18-year professional career – in reference to Salah, who has won the Golden Boot on three occasions (two shared).

"And I just think Salah needs to have a big season again. He does every year, but I like the Liverpool front six. Maybe they'll change a little bit more, I just [had a] gut feeling."

The premonition got off to a difficult start in Week 1, where Salah was prevented from scoring en route to a 1-1 with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The Egyptian did put the ball in the back of the net to initially double his team's lead in west London, only to be brought back for offside.

And Salah let it be known that he was upset to be taken off by manager Jurgen Klopp while his team were still drawing against Mauricio Pochettino's men. The Redstalisman undid his wrist wrapping in furious fashion and threw them on the floor as he departed the pitch, snubbing a handshake with Klopp as he took his seat on the bench.

Salah previously won back-to-back Golden Boots himself in 2018 and 2019, topping the charts with 32 Premier League goals in his maiden season at Anfield and setting the previous record in the process. He later shared the prize in 2019 and 2022, but last season's return of 19 top-flight finishes matched his joint-lowest return since joining Liverpool six years ago.

Follow the Daily Star on Threads

Haaland, meanwhile, is already joint-top of this season's stakes after Newcastle's Alexander Isak was the only other player to bag a brace on the opening weekend. The Swede was at the double as the Magpies hammered Aston Villa 5-1, marking the widest win by any outfit in Week 1.

Despite fielding an attack-heavy line-up in west London, Klopp's Liverpool – and by extension, Salah – may be stunted unless the team can strike more of a balance in midfield. And all the earliest signs suggest Carney's urge to break from the Haaland trend might have been misplaced.

Source: Read Full Article