Whatever the football hipsters might tell you, nobody had heard really of RB Salzburg’s Erling Haaland until last week.
But the striker’s hat-trick in the Champions League means he is now on every club in the world’s transfer shortlist. At least that’s what the BBC Gossip column told us.
The son of Leeds hero Alf-Inge Haaland – most famous for being on the wrong end of a crunching Roy Keane challenge – looks destined for a career his dad could only dream of.
And former Manchester City and Chelsea winger Shaun Wright-Phillips, who had dad Ian to live up to during his own playing days, has offered the 19-year-old Norwegian some advice.
Speaking on the Liquid Football podcast, which is produced by JOE in partnership with Paddy Power, he said: “When I was growing up everyone was like: ‘are you going to follow in his footsteps?’ But I was always brought up to be my own person, make my own path and take my own footsteps. I always knew I was a different player to my dad.”
Winger Wright-Phillips is now looking to guide his own son through the treacherous world of professional football.
His boy D’Margio recently signed his first professional contract at Manchester City and big things are expected of him
“My son is the same as I was,” Wright-Phillips added. “He is just focussing on what footsteps he can take in the game and what print he can leave in the game as part of his family line.
“It’s definitely hard but in football, through your whole career, you have to be mentally strong. There are a lot of things that come and maybe if you weren’t a footballer, you would deal with it completely differently.
“I feel like he has had to learn and he’s been learning that you have to mentally strong because there are a lot of sacrifices and there are a lot of pressures that come with it.
“You have to learn to deal with that at a young age because you never know when the game is going to come where you are called upon
One minute you’re not relevant and then you become relevant to everybody in England.
“He’s got to be ready for that and learn to start dealing with that now.”
Erling Haaland to sign for before 3rd February 2019
Manchester United – 7/1
Manchester City – 20/1
Real Madrid – 33/1
PSG – 33/1
Leeds – 33/1
Barcelona – 33/1
* All odds correct at time of posting.