Haaland replace from Guardiola after Man City man given compassionate depart
Manchester City could be without starman Erling Haaland this afternoon.
Pep Guardiola has hinted City’s goal machine Haaland might need a bit more time before he’s ready to return to action after a personal tragedy rocked his world.
City, who will take on Brentford on Saturday afternoon (3pm), have given their Norwegian some time off due to the death of a close family friend. Haaland‘s been absent from team affairs recently, not being spotted with the squad until resurfacing in training snaps from Thursday.
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Ivar Eggja, a close friend of Alf-Inge Haaland’s was known affectionately as “uncle” by the Man City forward, passed away recently. The 59-year-old was a key figure in Haaland’s circle with his passing naturally weighing heavy on the young striker’s mind.
The City boss is not rushing the decision to put Haaland back on the pitch, without revealing if he will be involved this weekend. Pep said: “It was a tough moment for him and his family. It was sad news. He was close to him and his family. 59 years old. Our thoughts are with him and his family. We will see tomorrow if he is mentally and physically able to play.”
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With an impressive tally of seven goals in just three matches this season, including back-to-back hat-tricks, Haaland is off to a flyer and surely has his eye on yet another Golden Boot in the Premier League. The forward paid homage to Eggja in a touching online post, reports the Mirror.
It read: “You are a legend, Ivar. Words cannot describe how much you meant to me! Words cannot describe how much you will be missed! Thank you for everything, you madman. We will see each other again. Rest in peace, Ivar.”
Man City have already offloaded Haaland’s former backup Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid, leaving them short in Haaland’s absences. Yet, they have clinched the title before without a traditional striker, Guardiola is no stranger to deploying a false 9 with Phil Foden and even now Arsenal man Gabriel Jesus taking up the role previously.
The leaders the Premier League could leap ahead by five points albeit potentially briefly over their closest contenders Arsenal, who are set to clash with Spurs in the north London derby come Sunday.
Last season saw Haaland net the decider against Brentford, and Bees manager Thomas Frank conceded that containing the Norwegian powerhouse is nearly an insurmountable task, he remarked: “It’s close to impossible. A lot of teams have tried to neutralise him but he’s a great player.”
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