Four years ago, Alf-Inge Haaland set a clock running on his son’s time at Manchester City. Erling is still at the Etihad, and he has started life under Enzo Maresca as though he has no plans to leave.
Speaking in the 2022 documentary ‘Haaland: The Big Decision’, the former Leeds and City defender was open about how the family viewed the striker’s career.
As reported by the Mirror, Haaland Sr said: “I think Erling wants to prove his abilities in all leagues.”
The idea, he explained, was a spell of roughly three or four years at City at most. Erling would then move on to other major leagues, with time in Germany, England, Spain, Italy and France all mentioned.
“Then he can stay there [Manchester City] for three or four years at the most. He could be, for example, two-and-a-half years in Germany, two-and-a-half years in England and then in Spain, Italy, France, right?”
With the time frame in mind, Haaland Sr believes his son could depart at the end of the current season.
Erling Haaland’s performances under Enzo Maresca
Haaland has scored six goals in six games in all competitions. That includes the winners in 1-0 victories over Coventry City and Manchester United. City also beat Bournemouth 2-1 at the Etihad in August.
Maresca has been generous in his assessment. There are reports that he believes Haaland has grown as a person since the Italian first encountered him during that treble-winning campaign. The coach has also been frank about workload.
Speaking after the Coventry game, he said: “It’s correct to give them some rest.” He was referring to players who feature heavily for both club and country.
Norway boss builds a bridge
That balancing act between club and country was the subject of a recent meeting at the City Football Academy. Norway head coach Stale Solbakken travelled to Manchester to meet Maresca for around 20 minutes.
Solbakken told VG, as quoted by CityXtra, that the conversation was constructive. “We exchanged phone numbers,” he said, and he described the meeting as important for open communication.
He said City had never asked him to shield Haaland in international matches and did not see an immediate need to rest the forward. He accepted, though, that the situation would need monitoring as the fixture list intensifies over the winter.
Norway face a demanding Nations League schedule this autumn, so keeping Haaland fit will matter to both camps.
