Erling Haaland fires Leeds United warning and declares feeling as Elland Road 'return' looms

City had 16 players representing the club at the 2022 Qatar World Cup but star striker Haaland was arguably the competition’s highest-profile omission due to Norway only finishing third in their qualifying group behind Netherlands and Turkey. The striker says he is determined to fulfil a dream of representing Norway on the biggest stage but admits there have also been benefits to missing out on a place at Qatar.

City face an EFL Cup clash at Liverpool just four days after the World Cup final on Thursday, December 22 before a trip to the city in which Haaland was born for the Premier League comeback as Leeds United host Pep Guardiola’s side on Wednesday, December 28.

Twenty two years ago, Haaland was born in Leeds in July 2000 shortly after Norwegian international dad Alfie had departed the Whites for Manchester City. The family moved back to Norway a few years later but striker Haaland’s journey is about to go ‘full circle’ and the forward is feeling refreshed and excited about the upcoming return. A warm weather training camp in Abu Dhabi has been on the agenda for Guardiola's side ahead of their return to action but Haaland spoke to the media about how he was feeling following a period of rest.

"It’s been a good opportunity to reset," said Haaland, speaking to The National. "Of course every player wants to be at the World Cup. It’s my dream to represent my country there and I’ll work hard to make sure that I do that one day. But the break has been positive. I’ve had the chance to rest, to take my mind off football for a few weeks and put myself in the best possible place to return. I can’t wait for it to start again. I’m raring to go."

Reflecting on his first four months in the English game since joining City from Borussia Dortmund, Haaland pondered: “It’s been positive. I feel like I’ve settled into the team and the league which can always take some adapting to and I’ve been pleased with how it’s started. But it’s not about me. It’s about the team, how we’re performing and the second half of the season is the most important now.

"We’ve put ourselves in a good position and we’ve had lot of strong performances, but we’re second in the league and that’s not where we want to finish. We have to hit the ground running when we return because we have some tough games across the different competitions and we want to win them all.”