Erling Haaland has picked out his favourites to win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Manchester City striker Haaland will not be at the World Cup as Norway did not qualify.
He will instead have a six-week break and when the season resumes will look to continue the same superb form he has shown far since joining City.
As for who will prevail in Qatar, Haaland said: “I think the favourites should be Brazil, Argentina, France and maybe England.
“I cannot only say one, because there are so many good teams, so yeah, these four.”
Haaland has scored 18 Premier League goals in just 13 appearances for Manchester City.
But he missed a few recent games due to injury and plans to use the World Cup break to recharge.
“First of all, I wish I was playing in the World Cup of course. But, that’s the reality now, I don’t.
“First of all, I will relax my body and my mind a lot and then I will train. What I will train on? Nothing special I think, it’s been going quite well I think, my first months in City, so I don’t need to do so much things, or so many changes to be honest.
“It’s about preparing myself for the next half of the season and being ready when the next game kicks in after the break.”
Haaland’s Manchester City team-mate John Stones expects the striker – and others not at the World Cup – to use the break positively.
“I hope relaxing a little bit, for the first part anyway,” said Stones. “Making sure their bodies are alright and whatever knocks and things they’ve hurt are recovered.
“And then knowing them and their mentality, it’ll just be focusing on getting back with the team and getting back playing, getting better at what they can, because I’ve seen it already in this short period of time before the World Cup, what they do off the pitch and I’m sure they’ll just want to keep improving.”
There will be little rest for those who go far in Qatar as the Premier League season resumes on December 26, a week after the World Cup finishes.
There are also EFL Cup games, including Manchester City v Liverpool, in midweek after the World Cup Final.
England defender Stones, though, sees the quick turnaround as a positive.
“I think the consistency of it and sometimes the shorter the break is better for us if we keep going and I think it’ll be more mentally, the switch from whatever’s happened (at the World Cup) to coming back to club football.”
