Ashton United, a Northern Premier League Premier Division club, has launched an audacious bid to sign Erling Haaland from Manchester City on loan.
With the Premier League on hold due to the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Haaland, whose Norway side could not be among the 32 teams competing at the tournament has ample idle time on his hands.
Ashton United have offered to take him on loan to keep him match-fit until the competition resumes. Based in Manchester, the team in the seventh division of English football confirmed that they have approached City over a 28-day loan for the striker.
“It just makes sense,” said manager Michael Clegg.
“City aren’t playing, and we want to help by keeping Erling fit, it makes more sense than him playing golf for six weeks”.
“We think he will be a great fit for us and would slot in with our squad dynamic really well.”
Ashton United are unlikely to land Erling Haaland, especially with Pep Guardiola planning to take his remaining players on a warm-weather training camp in Dubai during the time.
Ashton could use him though as he has scored 23 goals in 18 appearances for City since joining the club in the summer from Borussia Dortmund, while Ashton United as a whole has only scored 23 goals as a team in 19 league games this season.
The harmless jest between the two clubs underlines Haaland’s rise in the footballing world as he continues to inch towards the title of the game’s most lethal scorer by the minute.
