Could Erling Haaland miss City’s clash with Brentford on Saturday? | OneFootball

Up next for Manchester City is the visit of Brentford to the Etihad in Premier League action. The champions will be looking to continue their perfect start to the new campaign against Thomas Frank’s side. But could Erling Haaland miss Saturday’s match at the Etihad? That appears to be a real possibility based on a new report.

Jack Gaughan has reported for the Daily Mail that City’s top scorer has been offered compassionate leave due to the passing of close family friend Ivar Eggja. Furthermore, Gaughan reports that Erling Haaland did join Manchester City training on Thursday. Lastly, Gaughan adds that Pep Guardiola has a philosophy that family comes first and he won’t stop players from stepping away from the game due to family reasons.

It would be understandable if Erling Haaland did miss Manchester City’s upcoming clash with Brentford. Despite football appearing to be the most important item on the agenda, family always comes first. The City striker deserves all the time he needs to deal with the loss of a dear family friend. There is a human side to football that is often lost in the cut throat nature of the game. But the players are human and deserve time to deal with such matters as they arise.

It would be a blow for Manchester City if Erling Haaland was unavailable for Saturday’s match at the Etihad. He has started the season in fine form as he game looks to have gone up another level this season. Haaland has scored 7 goals in three Premier League games and looks set for a big 24/25 season.

A further update on Haaland’s availability is expected when Pep Guardiola fronts the media tomorrow. But if he does miss Saturday’s match it would be understandable given the situation and circumstances.