Elland Road was always the one for Erling Haaland. When Manchester City’s sensation saw the fixtures his eyes scanned for Leeds United away and his homecoming.
The Premier League’s runaway top goalscorer was born in Leeds in July 2000, shortly before dad Alfie departed the Whites for Maine Road. His life has always been tied to the city and, at last, he is making that pilgrimage he must have craved all his life.
The plot only thickens when you toss in his former boss Jesse Marsch in the opposition dugout. The pair had six months together at Red Bull Salzburg before the Norway international moved on to Borussia Dortmund.
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“Erling texted me as soon as the schedule came out and he said he's most excited for Boxing Day,” said Marsch. “I gave him permission to have a small hamstring injury for that match.
“He's born here. His father has history with the club. He has the club in his heart because of that. It's something we talked about.”
When Marsch arrived in England, four months before Haaland, he had messages of support from the striker and his dad about going into a club so inextricably linked to their lives. It’s a link which the American knows is only going to get the number nine pumped up for more goals.
“Before, when I got the job he and his father were both incredibly supportive and excited for me,” he said. “We'll expect him to be fully ready and passionate about this match, which causes issues for us.”
Six months may only be a small period in the career of a footballer and coach, but Marsch values that period in his professional life highly. It’s a crutch the head coach can lean on when it comes to preparing for the match.
“I know how good he is and I know how good he can be when he's at his best,” he said. “It'll certainly be important for us to manage him on the day.
“I've been asked it many times: ‘how do you do that?’ And the answer is you just have to have a keen awareness of where he is at all times and where he likes to be.
“Certainly, it's his ability to run hard into the box, his ability to run hard and transition, his ability to do whatever it takes around the goal to get on the end of plays. He's often not the one starting the play.
“He's always thinking about where to be so he can be finishing it and his instincts in that manner are incredibly unique. We will educate the team as to what to expect and then how to try to prevent him from getting into those areas.”
Haaland and Marsch want to get one over on each other next week, the latter knows this after spending so much time together in Austria. The forward remains an example Marsch would like to see all young players follow.
“It'll motivate him on the day a little bit, but it'll motivate me as well,” he said. “The time I had with Erling was just outstanding and we had an incredible relationship.
“He fit into the team so well. It was a really special team we had in Salzburg at the time and everyone committed to it at a high level and we really enjoyed the whole process.
“Erling was a really good example for all the young players there in terms of someone who had their mind entirely wrapped around football, but in a way that was fun. You guys see his personality.
“He's obviously very serious about what he does, but he does it in a way where it's enjoyable, it's infectious for his teammates. So, in general, I have some ideas of things we will try to do, but again, it'll come down to luck on the day in certain moments.
“Finding ways to contain him and hoping we can still find ways to punish them as well.”
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