Jesse Marsch claims he knew within two days of working with Erling Haaland at Red Bull Salzburg that he was a special talent.
Marsch teamed up with Haaland when he became Salzburg boss in June 2019. The Manchester City phenomenon, then just 18, was struggling to establish himself and had scored just one goal for the Austrian side.
But he quickly impressed Marsch with his attitude and ability and amassed 24 goals in the first half of that season, including four hat-tricks, to earn an £18million move to Borussia Dortmund that January. “Erling was one we thought could have a big impact and a break-out moment,” said the Leeds boss.
“He went to the Under-20 World Cup that summer and in one game he scored nine goals against Honduras. We usually give three weeks to every player after an international tournament, but he wanted to come back after 10 days and be at the first day of training.
“I talked to him to see if he was sure about that, that the break might be useful, but he insisted he wanted to come back and get to work. I would say within two days I thought, ‘all right, this looks a little bit different than most players’.
“I was excited about the possibilities and after a few days you saw it come together. You knew then that we could be good and that Erling could be special.”
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Haaland developed rapidly in his six months working with Marsch and the American says he was always pushing himself to be better. He had a real desire to improve,” he said of the striker. “He watched videos a lot, asked a lot of questions, wanted feedback, wanted extra training.
“When I would leave the training centre - and I was almost always the last one to leave - I’d walk through the building just to see if anyone else was there and that everything was packed up and clean, and Erling would be in the regeneration pool.
“He’d come back later in the afternoon before dinner to go through things again. His attention to taking care of himself and doing everything he could to make sure he could be at his best was special. When you have someone like that, regardless of how young or old he is, that’s infectious. So, that part was always really impressive with Erling.”
Haaland’s rapid upwards trajectory has continued at City and he has banged in 24 goals in just 18 appearances this season. Marsch is still in touch with his former player and knows how special it will be for the Leeds-born hitman to return to Elland Road on Wednesday. The Norway star grew up a fan of the club because his dad, Alf-Inge, played for them in the late 1990s.
“His father has history with the club and I think the club in his heart because of that,” Marsch added on Haaland junior. “It’s something we talked about before I got the job here and he and his father were both incredibly supportive and excited for for me.
“We’ll expect him to be fully ready and passionate about this match, which causes issues for us, because I know how good he can be when he’s at his best. Erling texted me as soon as the schedule came out and said he’s most excited for this game, so I’ve given him permission to have a small hamstring injury for this match!”
