Ruben Dias keen to keep building team bond with Erling Haaland
By Tom Gott
Ruben Dias has admitted Manchester City should be excited about the future with striker Erling Haaland in their ranks, but only if the Norwegian is given time to get used to his new teammates.
Haaland had a tricky debut in the Community Shield defeat to Liverpool but bounced back in style with an emphatic two-goal haul as City comfortably saw off West Ham United in their Premier League opener at the weekend.
His second, which came courtesy of a sumptuous through-ball from Kevin De Bruyne, was the sort of thing City fans have predicted will become commonplace at the Etihad Stadium this year, and Dias believes things are only just getting started.
"We are in the process of getting to know him and him getting to know us," Dias said.
"The games will allow to speed up the process. I'm very happy for him for having scored the two goals in his first Premier League game. It's going to be great for his confidence as well and for the team, because we know what he can give us."
Dias continued: "We saw the sort of help Haaland can bring to this team. At this point, it is very important to play games together, that he adapts to us and we adapt to him and he feels more and more connected with the team.
"Despite all the individualities we have in the squad, this team only works if we work together as a team.
"It wasn't the perfect start. It's a good start, a solid start for us. We won the three points, which matters a lot for us. But winning the first game doesn't mean anything in the context of the whole season. It's just one game, we have just started the season and we have a lot of work to do. It's important to win the first game to gain confidence and help the team become more connected."