The teenage striker has taken Europe by storm and has been linked with a transfer to the Santiago Bernabeu
Erling Haaland would not be guaranteed a starting spot at Real Madrid and would be better off staying at Borussia Dortmund for the experience, according to Lothar Matthaus.
The 19-year-old Norwegian striker has taken Europe by storm this season, scoring for fun at Red Bull Salzburg before moving to the Bundesliga in January and continuing his hot streak in Germany.
This has led to transfer interest from the biggest clubs in the world, and Real are said to be especially keen as they look for attacking options, with Luka Jovic and Gareth Bale struggling for form and out of favour respectively.
However, former Germany international Matthaus thinks Haaland would be better off staying put for the time being, for while he has the quality to play for Madrid, he would not be the guaranteed starter he is currently as Real already have a reliable striker in Karim Benzema.
Speaking on Spanish television sports channel Vamos, Matthaus said: “He is a player who would fit very well in Madrid, but now he needs to play because he is a very young boy and he is only 19 years old, perhaps he would not play the important matches because he would have competition with Benzema.”
Instead, the 1990 World Cup winner thinks the ideal career path for Haaland would be “to play two years at Dortmund and then go to Real Madrid”.
Matthaus is not the only star to think Haaland should remain in the Bundesliga, with even players for Dortmund’s rivals urging the forward to stick around.
Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski believes the talented teenager should be looking to stay put, allowing him to unlock his further potential in the Bundesliga.
Lewandowski said, when quizzed on the forward who has netted 12 times in 11 appearances for Dortmund: “He has huge potential, but still has time. I don’t want to put any pressure on him with my statements.
“If he works hard, he can become a better player and eventually reach the top level. Therefore it might be good for him if he would stay in the Bundesliga longer before taking the next step.”
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