Erling Haaland has delivered a frank assessment of Manchester City’s disappointing 2024–25 campaign, citing a lack of "hunger" within the squad as the key factor behind their decline. In a revealing interview with ESPN, the prolific Norwegian forward acknowledged that both he and the team have failed to maintain the high standards that brought them domestic and European glory in recent seasons.

“Of course, you can find excuses—injuries, many injuries at bad times—but in the end, we haven’t been performing well enough,” Haaland said. “We haven’t had fully the hunger inside of us. I haven’t been good enough. I haven’t helped the team enough. In the end, we haven’t been good enough.”

After winning four consecutive Premier League titles and completing a historic treble in 2023, Manchester City have seen their dominance wane. They surrendered the league title to Liverpool this season and exited the Champions League earlier than expected, sparking questions about their motivation and depth.

Haaland’s own campaign has been marked by inconsistency and injury. A troublesome ankle issue sidelined him for several weeks in March, though he still managed to notch an impressive 30 goals in 40 appearances. Now back to full fitness, the striker is determined to help City finish the season strongly.

“It was horrible to be injured, but what can you do?” Haaland added. “You have to recover as quickly as you can and come back as fit as you can. Now I’m back with loads of energy. I’m feeling good and moving good and I’m ready.”

Manchester City still have a chance to end the season with silverware as they prepare to face Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final on May 17. A top-four Premier League finish remains a priority, ensuring Champions League qualification for next season.

Haaland’s comments reflect a wider theme at City this season: the challenge of sustaining elite performance levels after sustained success. With one final opportunity to lift a trophy, the onus is now on Pep Guardiola’s side to rediscover their edge—and their hunger.

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