Red Bull Salzburg sensation Erling Haaland has revealed he now has Liverpool in his sights - and he believes he might have a trick up his sleeve against Virgil van Dijk.
Haaland's goalscoring potential came to the fore over the summer when he smashed a record nine goals in a single Under-20 World Cup game to help Norway destroy Honduras 12-0 in the group stages.
And the former Molde youngster has not let up for a second since establishing himself in the Salzburg first team.
He has already smashed 17 goals in 12 appearances this season for the club, including four hat-tricks in all competitions.
One of those hauls came against Genk in the Champions League, giving Salzburg a 6-2 win and the perfect start in a group that also includes Liverpool and Napoli.
Next up for the Austrians is a trip to Anfield, where Haaland will face off against FIFA's The Best defender, Van Dijk - but he hopes the goals will keep flowing.
“I don’t think you can train to play against him, but you can train on things that can maybe trick him or set him out of position” Haaland told Salzburg's official website .
“We all have to be at our best ever, every player, to have a chance against this team.”
The son of former Leeds United favourite Alf Inge Haaland, Erling has imbibed football from the very start.
Getty Images
But there is one man that stands out above the rest in his considerations.
“I had a lot of role models and looked up to many footballers, but Zlatan Ibrahimović is the biggest one,” he added, while stating his hopes of one day lining up in the Premier League.
“The way he became so good, the way he plays – and also he’s Scandinavian, so someone has to take over from him!
“Every football player dreams of playing for one of the best and biggest clubs in the world. This has been a dream my whole life and I especially like English football.”
There was also glowing praise for Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who took Haaland under his wing at Molde.
“He had a very big impact on my life and he taught me a lot,” he stated. “He’s one of the reasons I’m here today. He’s a good person and a good coach.”
Haaland and Salzburg will pit their wits against the European champions on October 2, with Liverpool keen to bounce back after going down to Napoli in their Group E opener.