Pep Guardiola is delighted that Erling Haaland has chosen Manchester City

Pep Guardiola feels blessed to have fertile Erling Holland at his disposal.

The Manchester City The boss is grateful not only that the Norwegian scored so many goals, but also that he decided to join Major league champions in general.

The 22-year-old scored his 26th Premier League goal of the season, equaling Sergio Aguero’s club record, in Wednesday’s decisive win over title rivals Arsenal.

Football expert Jamie Carragher raised eyebrows recently when he said Haaland was “not a perfect fit” for City.

It has not been a popular view among those connected with City, but Guardiola admits he understands why some would think so.

“I understand,” he said. “I am open to all opinions. He has his arguments, but the important thing is that he feels so happy here.

“His commitment – not because he scored 26 goals – is incredibly respectable. It was a surprise for all of us – a really big surprise.

“We didn’t know him. We knew his stats, his numbers when he played in Dortmund, but we – all of us – are very surprised.

“We are happy that we have him and we are happy that he chose us because he had the whole world in his hands to choose where he would play – stay at Dortmund or go to Madrid, Barcelona or other teams in England, but he chose us, and therefore we are more than happy.”

City’s 3-1 win over Arsenal moved them back to the top of the table on goal difference.

With Arsenal, who led by eight points last month, failing to win any of their last three games, the momentum appears to have shifted in City’s favour.

However, the London side still have a game in hand and Guardiola, who takes his side to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, will expect them to bounce back.

He said: “Now we can be 10-12 points behind. We got a little lucky.

“We won, but we felt how strong they are. We cannot be confused. Just because they haven’t won in the last few games, I don’t get the feeling that they’re not watching (manager) Mikel (Arteta) or they’re frustrated with the lack of results.

“They are still alive and will be alive until the end of the season.”

Guardiola also sought to dispel the misconception that he was unhappy with Bernardo Silva’s performance at left-back at the Emirates Stadium.

The Portuguese playmaker played an unfamiliar role in the first half before Guardiola changed tactics, which he later described as “terrible”.

Guardiola insists he was referring to his selection, not the team’s selection.

He said: “I said the general aspect of how to understand the game doesn’t work because Bernardo played at left-back. I didn’t say that.”

Midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, who scored twice as City beat Aston Villa to win the title on the final day of last season, is out of contract this summer.

Guardiola is desperate for the German to stay, but won’t force the midfielder to make a decision.

“Because of what Ilkay did against Aston Villa last season, he can do whatever he wants, but he knows exactly what I think of him,” he said.