"I substituted Haaland after hat-trick to prevent him from breaking Lionel Messi FA Cup record" - Pep Guardiola

Guardiola makes fun of the fact that he benched Haaland against Burnley to protect Messi's record.

Erling Haaland's remarkable scoring streak has been attributed to his "love of life," according to Pep Guardiola, who was also informed by defeated Burnley manager Vinny Kompany that the Manchester City striker is on his way to becoming an elite player like Ronaldo and Messi.

Guardiola said: ‘This guy (Haaland) will have a problem in the future because everyone will expect to him to get three or four every game, and that’s not going to happen.

‘But I know him, he doesn’t care about that. He is so positive and optimistic in his life. He never complains and as long as the team plays with this intensity, he will score goals, though the exact target, I don’t know'

Haaland equaled Cristiano Ronaldo's highest score for Manchester United when he won the Ballon d'Or by scoring his sixth hat-trick of the season in Saturday's 6-0 FA Cup demolition of Burnley to bring his season total to 42 goals.

The Norwegian is on pace to surpass Mo Salah and Ruud van Nistelrooy's 44 goals in all competitions set during the Premier League era, while Clive Allen's 49 goals for Spurs in 1986–87 are also in jeopardy. The pinnacle of personal accomplishment would be Dixie Dean's 60 objectives set in the 1920s.

Guardiola added: 'He is so effective and is such an incredible threat with his power. But his joy of life, always thinking good things will happen, that helps too.’

Guardiola hauled Haaland off near the end having already removed him in midweek against Leipzig so depriving him the opportunity to be the first player to score six goals in one Champions League.

When challenged about replacing his center-forward again, the City manager, who had previously come under fire for denying his player the chance to match Lionel Messi's five goals for Barcelona against Leverkusen, quickly came up with a one-liner.

‘I didn’t want him to break the record for Messi in the FA Cup,’ he quipped. ‘I try to punish my players – it is my intention!’

City are still in the race to win the treble this season, with five points behind league leaders Arsenal and a quarter final tie with Bayern Munich in the UCL.

Pep Guardiola will be counting on the Norway international to deliver the goals for his side as they continue their progress in the competitions.