Manchester City will reportedly allow Erling Haaland to miss this weekend's Premier League clash with Brentford on compassionate grounds.
The Norway international has made a quintessential blistering start to the new top-flight campaign and would be gunning for his third successive hat-trick against the Bees on Saturday.
After opening his account for the season in Man City's matchweek one win at Chelsea, Haaland netted a terrific treble against Ipswich Town before doing so again against West Ham United before the international break.
The 24-year-old also played in both of Norway's UEFA Nations League matches this month, scoring in their 2-1 victory over Austria, and he returned to Manchester unscathed on the physical front.
However. according to the Daily Mail, Man City have given Haaland permission to miss the upcoming visit of Brentford following the death of close family friend Ivar Eggja.
Who was Haaland's close friend Ivar Eggja?
![Manchester City forward Erling Haaland (9) during warmups before the FC Series match between Manchester City and Celtic at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, July 23, 2024 [on July 25, 2024]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/30/erling-haaland.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Manchester City forward Erling Haaland (9) during warmups before the FC Series match between Manchester City and Celtic at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, July 23, 2024 [on July 25, 2024]")
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A long-time friend of the Haaland family, Eggja was Alf-Inge Haaland's best man at his wedding and was regarded as the 'chief fixer' of the troupe, according to the report, as he also played a key role in helping Haaland settle into life in Manchester.
Eggja - whom Haaland affectionately called his uncle - found apartments for the striker during his time at Red Bull Salzburg, Borussia Dortmund and Man City and also accompanied him to last year's Ballon d'Or awards.
Haaland did not hold back his emotions when paying tribute to Eggja on social media, saying: "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, who was 59 when he died, also grew close to Haaland's agent Rafaela Pimenta, who expressed her condolences on Instagram, saying: "Ever since I met you, I thought your power was to brighten up any room.
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"I didn't know it was a superpower, and that you would go through so much, so soon, so fast, in a way that is the best example of strength, dignity, tolerance and optimism that family and friends can only dream of. It was an honor to be a small part of your journey."
Even though Haaland was present in training on Thursday, City have stressed that family always takes priority, and the Scandinavian will be allowed to miss the Brentford game should he need time to mourn.
Who could replace Haaland for Brentford game?
Pep Guardiola may answer whether Haaland will feature this weekend in his pre-game press conference, but the Catalonian coach has already lost his recognised backup - Julian Alvarez - to Atletico Madrid.
The Premier League champions would therefore need to deploy a false nine in place of Haaland, a role that any of Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva or Kevin De Bruyne could fill.
Foden has missed City's last two fixtures due to illness, but the Englishman is now back in training and expected to be available for the weekend.
Ben Knapton
