Shearer is the Premier League’s all-time leading scorer with 260 goals, 47 clear of his closest rival, Harry Kane, whose chances of overhauling him diminished significantly when he made a summer move to Bayern Munich.
Mo Salah is the only member of the all-time top ten who is still playing in the English top-flight, but given that he is already 32, the Liverpool forward is unlikely to claim the 101 goals he would need to overtake Shearer.
Haaland is currently tied for 63rd position on the all-time list with 73 Premier League goals, but given that he averages around a goal-a-game in all competitions for Manchester City, he could be threatening Shearer’s tally within four or five seasons if he remains at the Etihad, stays fit and continues on his current scoring trajectory.
“I don’t think there are many who are going to get close to Alan because his record over the time that he did it is truly incredible,” said Howe, whose Newcastle side host Haaland’s Manchester City this afternoon. Really, with the amount of goals that he scored, when you see the numbers, that’s going to be some target to beat.
“But you’re probably looking at someone like Erling Haaland, who’s had an incredible start. His appetite for goals is incredible when you watch him play. I’m a big admirer of his, I’m a big admirer of his game.
“I think the most stand-out attribute is his want to score, his need to score. He’s really strong, quick, a deadly finisher, so he’s someone that we’ll have to play very well against.”
Haaland did no feature in either of Manchester City’s two matches at St James’ Park last season as he was injured for the league game and an unused substitute in the Carabao Cup. He scored in the 3-3 draw in the previous campaign, which remains his only outing on Tyneside.
He is clearly City’s biggest threat this afternoon, even if the absence of Kevin de Bruyne deprives him of a key creative accomplice.
“We’ve had some good battles against him (Haaland) before,” said Howe. “Although I don’t think you’ll ever manage to keep him quiet throughout the game, you just have to manage situations well.
