The background gives the story its edge. Anderson and Haaland were on opposing sides at the World Cup, where a key incident helped spark the teasing. Haaland later labelled his new team-mate a “diver” online after a contentious moment in that knockout meeting.
Yet Anderson’s response has been notably relaxed. “He was very good today and has been helping me adapt,” Anderson said, framing the exchange as dressing-room banter rather than any deeper issue. For a new arrival, that matters. Walking into a squad as established and demanding as City’s can be difficult; breaking the ice quickly is no small thing.
Reports say Haaland returned to training on Wednesday after an impressive summer on international duty, and his presence immediately sharpens the focus around Pep Guardiola’s side. When Haaland is back in the building, the tempo changes. The attention follows him, and so do expectations.
For Anderson, this is the ideal crash course. Training alongside one of the game’s most decisive forwards is the fastest possible introduction to City’s standards, movement and ruthlessness in the final third.
The timing is useful too. Arsenal provide a serious early test, and other reports suggest they are still trying to strengthen their squad before the new campaign fully kicks into gear. That gives the Community Shield a little more bite than a routine curtain-raiser.
Anderson admitted the World Cup exit is still painful. “It’s very difficult. I’m still kind of suffering from it now… but now it’s a new season, you need to move on,” he said. That is the theme for City as well: old grudges parked, new partnerships forming, and a first look at how quickly this group can click when the season’s first piece of silverware comes into view.