Erling Haaland could miss Man City’s clash with Brentford on compassionate leave

Erling Haaland could miss Manchester City’s clash against Brentford after the death of his father’s best friend.

The City forward paid a touching tribute to ‘uncle’ Ivar Eggja, who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 59.

Haaland paid a touching tribute to the late Eggja and posted a series of photos of him with him as well as Haaland’s father, ex-City and Leeds player Alfe-Inge Haaland.

Taking to Instagram, he said: “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 give a s***. I don’t give a s***! That’s exactly what I’m going to do.

“Thank you for everything, you madman. We will see each other again.

“Rest in peace, Ivar.”

Eggja’s passing puts Haaland’s availability for City’s clash on Saturday, live on talkSPORT 2, into doubt.

News of Haaland‘s availability will be confirmed by Pep Guardiola at City’s pre-match press conference on Friday.

Eggja was the best man at Alfe-Inge’s wedding and was a regular helper of the family having helped his friend’s son transition to life in Dortmund, Salzburg and Manchester by making sure his apartments were fully furnished so he could focus on his football.

He is survived by his two sons – Fabian and Felix – and his daughter Ine.

4

4

4

City are currently top of the Premier League with a maximum of nine points from their opening three games as they chase a fifth successive Premier League crown.

Haaland has made an electric start to the season having scored seven goals in the three matches.

His last two outings have seen him bang in back-to-back hat-tricks against Ipswich and West Ham respectively.

He was also on target for Norway during the recent international break.

After drawing a blank in the Nations League clash with Kazakhstan, he found the back of the net in the 2-1 win against Austria on Monday night.

JOIN THE DUGOUT

Have your say on all things talkSPORT by joining ‘The DUGOUT’ – our new listener panel.

We’re all about diving deep into your perspectives, and making sure talkSPORT is the absolute best it can be. Your voice matters, and we want to hear it!

Pitch your game-changing ideas, and join in with fun surveys, polls, and locker-room discussions.

Just by joining, you’ll enter a prize draw to win one of four £50 Amazon vouchers, with another prize draw entry for every survey you complete after that

To join the ‘The DUGOUT’ panel, please click here.