On fire: Mitrovic has taken the Premier League by storm this season
(Picture: PA)Pep Guardiola insists allowing Fulham to play long balls up to Aleksandar Mitrovic will see Manchester City lose their Premier League clash on Saturday.
While City star Erling Haaland is naturally taking much of the goalscoring plaudits after a record-breaking start to his first season in England, his opposite number at the Etihad Stadium has been impressive in his own right.
After so much debate as to whether or not the Serbian international could convince in the Premier League, Mitrovic has bagged nine goals in 12 appearances, already on course to better his most prolific top-flight tally of 11.
Guardiola has praised the former Newcastle striker for his form, citing him as a key danger in a Fulham side to have exceeded expectations this season.
"If we let them play a long ball to Mitrovic then you lose, he’s a competitor and he pulls defenders to their limits,” he said.
“He’s clinical.
"There was a lot of talk about him only being a Championship goal scorer, yet here we are and he’s doing it in the Premier League."
Haaland is likely to return in at least some capacity on Saturday, while Mitrovic has had recent injury problems of own.
