Erling Haaland Will Miss Manchester City’s Carabao Cup Tie vs Watford After Flying Back to Norway

Current Premier League top scorer Erling Haaland will mis City’s midweek cup tie against Watford due to personal reasons. The 24-year-old striker has been granted time off after the death of a close family friend.

Ivar Eggja, whom Erling Haaland affectionately referred to as his uncle, was Alfie Haaland's best man at his wedding. Sadly, Ivar passed away earlier this month at just 59 years old. While Manchester City offered Haaland compassionate leave, the Norwegian forward chose to remain in Manchester and continued training with the team. Haaland featured in matches against Brentford, Inter Milan, and Arsenal, netting three goals in those appearances. However, with Ivar's funeral taking place in Norway this week, Haaland has been given leave to travel back home and pay his respects, meaning he won’t be part of City’s squad for their Carabao Cup clash against Watford. Fortunately for City fans, Haaland is expected to return ahead of their crucial match against Newcastle United on Saturday. 

Throughout this difficult time, Haaland has received immense support from his City teammates. In a heartfelt gesture, the team sent flowers to Haaland’s private box at the Etihad, where his family often watches City’s matches, during the Premier League game against Brentford. Reflecting on the team's solidarity, defender Manuel Akanji shared his thoughts, saying, "That’s what a team is for. We stick together and try to help each other out. It was Erling in this moment, but we try to help each other out, lift each other. It’s not just the teammates, it’s the whole club." 

Despite the tragic loss of his uncle, Erling Haaland has shown incredible resilience, delivering exceptional performances on the pitch. In the three games following Ivar's passing, the 24-year-old striker managed to break multiple records. First, he became the first player in Premier League history to score more than eight goals in the opening four matches of a season. His brace against Brentford brought his tally to nine. But Haaland wasn’t done there. In City’s electrifying 2-2 draw against Arsenal, he netted his 100th goal for Manchester City. This meant that Haaland is the joint fastest with Cristiano Ronaldo to reach a century of goals for a club. Both Ronaldo and Haaland reached 100 goals on their 105th appearance for Real Madrid and Manchester City, respectively.  

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