If you feed Erling Haaland he will thrive, writes JACK GAUGHAN

A bonsai tree stood in the physio room at Manchester City’s training ground last year, the centrepiece of an area that became a hub for Pep Guardiola’s players. It can be quite busy in there and most of the squad made sure to spray their little seedling when walking through.

‘Erling’s idea,’ John Stones smirks. Given what we know about Erling Haaland — the meditation dedication and a zen approach to life — bringing in that Japanese tree feels perfectly in keeping. As City stormed to the Treble, the bonsai gave them a common cause away from the grass.

‘Everyone bought into it, everyone took care of it,’ Stones adds. ‘It became a thing that if you’d come in and not watered it, you’d be a bit angry with yourself.’

They’re all arms and legs, the bonsai. A bit like its owner. ‘I’ve kind of got responsibility for it,’ Haaland says. ‘Give it what it needs, feed it. It needs the right light. We get the energy from the bonsai tree. We drag the energy out and it breathes into the body. It brings us good luck.’

Unwittingly, Haaland is describing himself. Describing what he is to this City team. A bonsai needs an exact environment to thrive in and so too does the man who wears No 9 for the best side in the world. Neither require much upkeep but they do require something. Whether he is being afforded that regular supply, little and often, is up for debate and when that dries up, someone like Roy Keane will merrily provide disingenuous commentary on how Haaland resembles a League Two striker.

‘His general play for such a player, it is so poor,’ Keane said after the goalless draw with Arsenal where Haaland was reduced to 23 touches. ‘He has to improve that, he’s almost like a League Two player.’

Given his long-running history with the