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Erling Haaland the season has begun sensationally But he is not part of the team Manchester City His Beginnings Carabao Cup campaign against Watford this evening.
Haaland has scored an incredible 10 goals in just five games Premier League All matches of this season, including Hat-trick against Ipswich And West HamBut City will have to make do without him as they face Championship rivals Third round of the competition They won four in a row between 2018 and 2021 but have been winless since.
The reason for this is that Their talismanic striker The reason for not attending the ceremony is that he has been given permission to return to Norway for the funeral of his close family friend Ivar Egge.
Egg, who passed away earlier this month At just 59, he was seen as an uncle and confidant by the City forward, best friend of his father Alf-Inge and the Haaland family’s main fixer.
When Haaland moved to Manchester after signing for Pep Guardiola’s side in 2022, Exa arranged a fully furnished apartment for him to live in so that the 24-year-old could focus on the game.
He did the same at both of the Norwegian international’s former clubs RB Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund, with Haaland admitting in an interview that “If I was alone and had to choose my own apartment and shop at IKEA, I wouldn’t have scored three goals against Augsburg on my Dortmund debut.”
Following Exja’s death, Haaland wrote on Instagram: “You are a legend, Ivar. Words cannot describe how much you meant to me! Words cannot describe how much you will be missed!”
“I don’t care! I don’t care! This is what I’m going to do. Thank you for everything, crazy. We’ll meet again. Rest in peace, Ivar.”
Holland has in the headlines for his actions during the last few days at City Dramatic and tense 2-2 draw There will be a clash with title rivals Arsenal at the weekend.
The striker threw the ball behind Gabriel’s head after the equaliser, also shouting “Who are you?” at 17-year-old Gunners substitute Miles Lewis-Skelly and confronting Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta at full-time, telling him to “stay humble”. Gunners legend Ian Wright has ruled Haaland out for a “cowardly move” in reference to throwing the ball at Gabriel’s head.
When Axel died in early September, there was speculation that Haaland would miss Man City’s match with Brentford that weekend due to compassionate leave.
However, he not only played but also scored twice in a 2–1 win and celebrated much more quietly than usual after the first goal – simply running towards the halfway line with his arms raised and head bowed.
After learning of Axel’s death, Haaland’s City team-mates supported him in training and sent flowers to his personal box for the Brentford match, including the defender. Manuel Akanji later explained How important is team spirit in a team.
“That’s what a team is all about,” he said. “We stick together and try to help each other. Erling’s situation is similar at the moment, but we try to help each other, encourage each other. It’s not just about team-mates, it’s about the whole club.”
Although he will miss the Carabao Cup clash with Watford, Haaland is expected to be available for Saturday’s Premier League visit of Newcastle.