Alf Ingve Berntsen, a former coach for Red Bull Salzburg starlet Erling Haaland, has called for patience when assessing the player, saying he is "far from the level" of stars like Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski. 

Haaland has taken European football by storm this season, excelling in Austrian football and also shining in the UEFA Champions League. Given he's just 19 years old, it's no surprise the Norwegian has already been subject to transfer speculation, with Bayern, Manchester United and Liverpool mentioned.

However, Bernsten, who worked with Haaland during their time together at Bryne FK, has said the forward still has a long way to go, per Maximilian Schmeckel of Goal:

"The tactical requirements at Bayern and Liverpool would be a bit too high for now—after all, he has only played in Norway and Austria so far. And also there for a short time.

"Joining Bayern would be difficult for him at the moment. Because, of course, he is still far from the level of Robert Lewandowski. Erling is a dominant character, sitting on the bench would not be easy for him. As long as Lewandowski plays at this level, a move to Bayern would therefore not make sense."

Bernsten went on to say it would be "advisable" for Haaland to remain at Salzburg for another season and "it would be bad for him not to play at his new club." He also referenced Haaland's compatriot Martin Odegaard, who struggled to make an impact at Real Madrid after joining the club as a 15-year-old in 2015.

According to Adam Crafton of The Athletic, the interest from Manchester United in the young forward has intensified of late:

It's not a shock to see so many high-profile clubs in the frame for Haaland given he's enjoying a stunning 2019-20 season.

In the Austrian top flight, he has already netted 15 goals from 12 appearances, including a hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Wolfsberger on Saturday. Per B/R Football, he's made a habit of netting trebles this term:

What will have impressed scouts is Haaland's performances in the Champions League, having netted in all four of his matches in the competition so far, including games against Napoli and Liverpool.

Bayern, like every big club on the continent, will have an eye on the teenager; former Norway international Jan Aage Fjortoft thinks they should be in for him:

The Munich giants will be starting to think about life after 31-year-old Lewandowski, although he's enjoying one of the best seasons of his career. The Poland international has scored in every Bundesliga and Champions League game he's featured in this term, finding the net 23 times in total.

Given Lewandowski's physical frame, technical skill and finishing potency, it would make sense if the Bayern man was someone Haaland wanted to emulate. However, given his development at Salzburg, there shouldn't be any huge rush to change clubs.