World Cup 2026: How do you stop Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane?

Next match: Senegal, Tuesday 01:00 BST

Haaland had to wait until he was 25 to not only make his World Cup debut but also take part in international tournaments.

And the Leeds-born striker is clearly keen to make up for lost time.

“He is the exact opposite of Mbappe and Messi,” Williams said. “He will beat you without the ball, which makes it even more dangerous.

“You want to help your midfield by supporting them so they don’t have to cover too much ground.

“But the moment you leave the area behind you, he will immediately take advantage of it.”

Williams says one of the keys to limiting Haaland’s influence is preventing teammates from getting the ball to him.

“First of all, you have to stop balls behind,” Williams said. “Stop the supplies going to him.

“If you can keep the distance between your midfield and limit his chances, you have a half-and-half chance.

“It’s not very often that he actually drops down the pitch, gets the ball, beats four players and scores an own goal, so he feeds off the serve he’s given.”

Haaland is the most clinical of the four, scoring 57 goals in just 51 appearances.

“He’s more lethal,” Williams added. “If he gets the chance, he will probably score.”

How about going one-on-one with Haaland?

“You have to tighten up around the box and try to keep him on his right foot,” Williams said.

“Then you have to be as strong as you can, don’t be smart, just clear the ball and buy time.”