Leeds [UK], September 7 (ANI): Comparing Erling Haaland to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, Norway boss Lars Lagerback said the 20-year-old has all the possibilities of becoming a "world-class" player.

"I've maybe been around too long but I have never seen a guy since maybe Messi or Ronaldo that developed at such a young age," Goal.com quoted Lagerback as saying.

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"That's very unique and he has all the possibilities to become a really world-class player -- if you look at the offensive third of the pitch and in the box then he's already absolutely top class," he added.

Impressed with the player's qualities, Lagerback said Haaland is already at a really high level and just needs to stay injury-free to become a top-class player.

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"He perhaps has a little bit more to do in the link play but being so young, he's already at a really high level," the boss said.

"With the qualities he already has and his focused personality -- if he can stay free from injury then he can be a really top-class player," Lagerback added.

Haaland witnessed a scintillating 2019-2020 season as he netted 44 times in 40 appearances across all competitions for two different clubs.

Norway is currently gearing up to take on Northern Ireland in Nations League on September 8. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)