David Moyes insists he is hoping that Erling Haaland just isn’t up to speed with Manchester City yet!

The striker joined from Borussia Dortmund in a huge summer deal but flopped somewhat in his first game for City, against Liverpool in the Community Shield.

He missed a sitter from close range late on as City lost 3-1 and Moyes is hopeful that there is some rustiness from the Norway international when the Hammers play City on Sunday.

Moyes was asked about whether the Irons are ready for a battle with the Norwegian, and he took the time to extol his attributes ahead of this weekend’s curtain-raiser.

He told reporters: “I think that the days of those centre forwards are probably gone. If you actually think about the people that actually come under that category there are not any. And you have to be careful that you don’t put Haaland in that category as I think Haaland has so many more better attributes.

“He can run in behind, he doesn’t necessarily play up against centre halves or look for a battle. I understand what you mean but I think he is an intelligent forward who knows how to get a goal. If you are talking about a team to play for, who will give you enough chances, Man City is certainly one of them.

“We are all watching this page to see how well he does. I am just hoping he takes a bit of time to settle in and he is not quite ready yet.”