- Erling Haaland returned to training with Manchester City on Thursday
- The City superstar was permitted to take time away if he felt the need to
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Erling Haaland quickly got his name on the scoresheet after being named in the Man City starting XI to face Brentford at the Etihad on Saturday, despite being offered compassionate leave by his manager Pep Guardiola.
Haaland was told by Guardiola that he was be allowed time away from football following the death of Ivar Eggja – a family friend he affectionately called his ‘uncle’.
The striker was named to start, however, and came into the game bidding to score a hat-trick for the third game in a row after netting six in two games against Ipswich and West Ham.
City received a shock in the first minute as Yoane Wissa nodded home after just 22 seconds.
Order was restored as Haaland levelled the scores in the 19th minute, producing a sharp finish on the turn after being fed by Kevin De Bruyne.
Guardiola, speaking ahead of the game, gave an update on his star man a little over 24 hours out from kick-off.
‘[It’s a] tough time for him and his family,’ the Spaniard began. ‘Our thoughts are with him and his family and we’ll see tomorrow if he’s able physically and mentally to play.’
Haaland paid tribute to Eggja in an Instagram post on Thursday following his death at the age of 59.
Alongside several photos of himself and Eggja, Haaland wrote: ‘You are a legend, Ivar. Words cannot describe how much you meant to me! Words cannot describe how much you will be missed!
Erling Haaland was named in the starting XI for Man City’s clash with Brentford on Saturday
‘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.’
Haaland trained with his City team-mates later on Thursday but Guardiola made it clear that family comes before football and would allow his star striker to miss Saturday’s home game if he wanted to.