Tottenham legend Clive Allen fears Erling Haaland could break his 36-year goalscoring record and suggests the ‘sensational’ Man City striker could hit 100 in his debut season

Tottenham legend Clive Allen fears his 36-year-old goalscoring record will be shattered this season by the “surprisingly good” Erling Haaland.

And he won’t be the only icon nervously watching their historic exploits following Man City’s stunning start to the goalscoring machine for their maiden Premier League campaign.

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Allen scored 49 goals in all competitions for Tottenham in the 1986/87 season – still a club record.

It’s a record he’s proudly held ever since, although he admits it may be time for him to say goodbye.

Haaland has had a stunning start to his career in the English top flight, with the 22-year-old already scoring 11 goals in his first seven appearances – including a pair of hat-tricks in back-to-back games against Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest.

And he has the chance to increase that tally in his first Manchester derby showdown against Man United on Sunday.

Asked if he was watching the start of Haaland’s career and worried his record might be broken, Allen told talkSPORT during the Warm Up: “It won’t last until New Years, as it will. !

“It’s quite unbelievable, he’s been in absolutely stunning form.

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“I had 26 on Boxing Day, and that has always been my marker when I now look at players who score a lot of goals.

“But Haaland has been nothing short of sensational for Man City. He will have 100, I think!

And, let’s not forget, the City star will have a month-long break over the winter as other players head to the World Cup, so the Norwegian – whose nation did not qualify – will be well rested and motivated to start again when the Premier League resumes.

And it’s not just Allen’s record that Haaland comes after.

Alan Shearer and Andy Cole still hold the record for most goals scored in a single Premier League season, with 34 – scored by Cole for Newcastle in 1993/94 and Shearer for Blackburn in 1994/95.

Mohamed Salah is the most recent player to come closest to the Premier League record when he scored 32 goals in the 2017/18 season for Liverpool.

When you look at Haaland’s current goalscoring rate, it was predicted that he will end the Premier League campaign with a staggering 59 goals in 38 games.

And talkSPORT pundit Darren Ambrose thinks he’ll do it in style.

“Haaland scores a hat-trick and he’s unhappy he didn’t score four or five,” said the former Premier League ace.

“I’m telling you now, I think we could see the Premier League’s first player to score a double hat-trick in one game.”

But those tallies, and those of Allen, are still eclipsed by the 60 goals in 39 games managed by Everton legend Dixie Dean in the 1927/28 season.

Middlesbrough great George Camsell had scored a season-high 59 goals in the previous year alone in 1926/27 but maintained it for just 12 months before Dean netted one more.

But four players have managed even more than Dean’s record, including Lionel Messi who managed a remarkable 73 goals in the 2011/12 campaign for Barcelona and Argentina.

But, given Haaland’s stunning record so far, maybe that’s not even certain…