Gianluigi Donnarumma has revealed that Erling Haaland played a big role in his Deadline Day move away from European Champions Paris Saint-Germain to Manchester City.
The Italy goalkeeper was surprisingly put up for sale by PSG in the summer transfer window.
Just a few months before his exit, Donnarumma helped PSG to their first Champions League title, pulling off some vital saves in the latter stages of the tournament.
However, PSG wanted a different style of goalkeeper and after signing Lucas Chevalier from Lille, Donnarumma was surplus to requirements.
Now in Manchester, the 26-year-old says his decision to join the seven-time Premier League champions was made easier by his “great friend” Haaland.
Asked about what Haaland is like to play with, Donnarumma replied: “He’s a fantastic guy, so calm and he loves his family and being with them.
Donnarumma has spoken about the role Erling Haaland played in joining Man City
“We hit it off. There’s that synergy there where there’s just a natural feeling. Even when we played against each other, we were in touch and after the games we even spoke often.
“Then I had the opportunity to come here, he wrote to me. He pushed hard for me to come and I think him so much for that.
“He’s truly a great friend – and it’s a good thing I play with him because it’s so difficult to be against him! He’s an alien!”
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Donnarumma also paid tribute to the rest of the City team for helping him acclimatise to the Premier League.
The Italian has kept six clean sheets in his first 12 games for Pep Guardiola’s side so far. “I’m a bit angry because I could have kept more” laughed the goalkeeper.
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On Donnarumma’s Man City debut, Bryan Mbeumo’s rocket volley was expertly stopped by the Italian
“I didn’t expect to have such a positive impact on the Premier League. But the team helped me a lot because the moment I arrived, they welcome me very well.
“They helped me a lot in the first games, especially the first one which was just three days in. In the first training session, it felt like I had been there for two years.
“The league is very different, there’s a lot of running, a lot of intensity so I had to adapt immediately. But the team has been fundamental for me in these first few months.”
