Erling Haaland still has one area of his game to improve before he can be considered a virtually perfect footballer, according to former Manchester United and Mexico striker Javier Hernandez.
Hernandez, widely known as Chicharito, believes the Manchester City and Norway forward could become even more effective by adding greater speed to his game.
The former Mexico international said Haaland is not as quick as he could be and suggested that an improvement in that aspect would make the striker almost complete as a footballer.
Haaland has already established himself as one of the leading forwards in the game, but Hernandez believes pace remains the one obvious part of his play that can still develop. The assessment focuses specifically on the Norway international’s speed and does not question his overall quality or his contribution in front of goal.
Hernandez’s comments come after an outstanding showing by Haaland at the 2026 World Cup. The striker scored seven goals in five matches during the tournament, underlining his importance to Norway’s attack.
Norway were appearing at the World Cup for the first time and made an immediate impression by reaching the quarter-finals. Their run ended with a defeat by England, who went on to finish as the tournament’s bronze medallists.
That campaign gave Haaland the opportunity to showcase his goalscoring ability on the biggest international stage. He responded with seven goals across Norway’s five matches, but Hernandez believes the Manchester City forward could still raise his level further if he became quicker.
The point made by Hernandez is not that Haaland lacks pace altogether, but that the striker has room to improve in that particular area. In his view, a faster Haaland would be close to being the complete package.
Haaland’s strengths already include his ability to score regularly, while his performances at the 2026 World Cup were central to Norway’s progress to the last eight. However, Hernandez has singled out speed as the quality that would most clearly enhance his game.
For now, Haaland’s tournament record remains seven goals in five appearances, as Norway reached the quarter-finals on their World Cup debut before losing to England. Hernandez’s judgement is that improving his pace would take the Manchester City and Norway striker even closer to footballing perfection.
